I apologize greatly for my lassitude in updating. Onwards!
=====
~Draika~
Chapter Sixteen: Frozen
"Tomonari?" Miaka blinked. "Strange."
"Just like you." Draika retorted, watching her owl contemplatively. "Pretty, isn't he?"
"Yeah." Miaka turned, examining her tousled red hair in a small pocket mirror. "So, are you going to the dance?"
"Hm?" Draika asked absently, moving Tomonari's cage to rest beside her trunk at the foot of her four-poster. "What dance?"
"What dance?" Miaka repeated, in almost-certain horror. "What dance?! THE dance. The Christmas dance. Where do you live? Do you live here?"
"I hope so." Draika sighed, rolling her eyes. "I forgot, that's all."
"Forgot."
"Yeah." The girl continued to situate her owl's cage, deliberately not looking up at her friend. "And no, I don't think I'm going to go."
"Why not? You could go with Blaise. He wouldn't mind." Miaka grinned as Draika finally looked up.
"…yeah?"
"You really are Ms. Oblivious, aren't you?"
"Yeah, sure, Miaka." Draika rolled her eyes. "I just don't want to go. I won't like it, I know."
"You've never gone, so how could you know?"
Miaka's bounciness was really starting to get on Draika's nerves. Her hand twitched, and Tomonari's cage clattered to the floor. The owl gave an indignant hoot, fixing his regal stare on Draika.
-Be careful, please.- He intoned.
"Er…no problem." Draika hastily, putting the cage back where it had been.
"What?" Miaka frowned momentarily, unable to keep up the expression for long. " 'No problem' what?"
"Nothing." Draika muttered. "If I go to the stupid dance, will you shut up?"
Not one bit offended, Miaka grinned, nearly knocking the other girl off her feet in a tackle-ish sort of hug. "Yup! But no promises, okay?" She bounced off down the stairs.
Suddenly chilled, Draika wrapped the feathered cloak around herself more tightly, sitting down on her bed. It was freezing in the dungeons. She was sleepy…she'd be warm back in bed, surely?
-Cold blood.- She heard Tomonari comment vaguely before she drifted off into dreams of numbing silver mist.
***
"…don't know…this morning…"
"…ice….Snape…"
"…ruddy owl….feathers…"
"…hand…freezing!"
Draika squinted her eyes open, suppressing a convulsive shiver. The world was moving…she felt herself swaying a bit, as if in a hammock…she blinked, her surroundings coming into sharper focus. She realized she was being carried by her hands and feet by two people, swaying a bit as they tried to keep her from hitting her head. It was cold…cold all over…
"Here…the next left." The sharp words buzzed in her ears, hurting like a sharp pinprick.
"Where…" She said, trying out her voice. When her transporters failed to take notice of her, she took a deep breath.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
The person carrying her arms screamed, dropping her promptly. Whoever held her feet had stopped completely, still holding her ankles resolutely.
"….owwww…" She lifted a shivering arm to rub her head, barely making out Miaka's wide eyes. "…where?"
"There was no cause to shout like that." A reprimanding voice said. Hermione set the girl's talons down, folding her arms as she looked down at Draika. "We were just taking you to the hospital wing, you know."
"Why…is she here?" Draika hissed between chattering teeth, glaring up at the Gryffindor girl.
"Because she was the only one I could find. Besides, she's really smart. She says that you shouldn't be sleeping in the dungeons during the winter if your blood has changed, too…"
If she had the strength, Draika would have leapt up to strangle her friend.
"Blood?"
"Of course." Hermione said with a sniff. "Your dragon blood."
Miaka smiled. "See? She's sharp."
"You…told? Knew?"
"I knew since I took you to the hospital wing. Just let me tell you…" Hermione picked up Draika's feet again as Miaka took Draika's arms again. "…those bloody gryphons saved your life, AGAIN. You'd better thank them."
Draika reflected upon the cloak. Everything was still so cold…had someone left any doors open?
"S'cold…" She repeated, antsy now that the carrying had begun again. "S'bloody c-cold…"
Hermione's eyes narrowed, but she managed to smile. "Just relax."
Miaka grinned, seemingly oblivious to Draika's differences. Though her outward appearance seemed knowing about it, she really was in the dark. Stupid girl. *laughs*
Draika wanted to wrap her arms around herself and cuddle into her cloak, but Miaka's stronghold on her wrists prevented that in the worst way. A black shape darted above. Hermione saw where the girl was looking, and nodded.
"Your owl's been in a right state ever since Miaka dragged you up. Molted something awful on my robes, little down feathers…" Draika squinted, seeing several tufts of grey-white insulation feathers.
"We're going to find someone." Hermione kept talking, more to keep Draika awake than for anything. "Everyone's outside, or getting ready."
"You…goin'?"
"Yes, I am. I don't have anyone to go with, of course, but I'm pretty sure everyone's expected to attend, and I don't want to get in trouble…"
At that point Draika zoned out on Hermione's chatter, swaying heavily between the two of them. She felt them stop, and heard hushed voices speaking urgently. She caught a few words, but nothing that her numbed brain could decipher. She could hear, and she knew they were making words, but she was too tired to translate them. She felt her transporters heft her a little higher, then let go as someone else took the heavy burden that was her.
It was a lot nicer to be carried in arms rather than in mid-air…more warmth. Draika's toes curled into the middle of her talons as she drifted off again, only to be reawakened minutes later as she was hoisted into a bed. The sheets were ice-cold…she shuddered, drawing her cloak around her with stiff arms, burying her face under the hood to accumulate her breath for warmth.
Then it was quiet. Someone placed something heavy over her and she shifted, unaccustomed to the weight.
-Cold blood, dear. Frozen blood.-
She laid there for what seemed like ages, sleep always just out of her reach. Sometimes she heard things, low voices…or was it just the wind? She couldn't see much from her little peephole out of the blankets. A few times the bed sagged, like someone was sitting on it or placing something there for a moment.
-Sraelyth will be so happy.-
The owl's mentioning of Sraelyth immediately perked her up. Draika flexed her fingers one at a time. Satisfied with the results, she rustled a wing. Immediately she heard more voices, clearer than she could ever remember hearing in her life. Something smelled delicious…dinner in the great hall? But it couldn't be time for the dance yet…she tried to lift her head, earning a sharp crack from her neck.
"…grrr…" She rubbed the sore spot, propping herself up with her cloaked arms. It felt much warmer now, almost too warm. But anything was better than that soul-freezing mist. Tomonari moved a bit to one side, watching Draika with both eyes.
-Don't overdo it, now…- His tone sounded almost mocking.
"Shut it." Draika grumbled, but couldn't help grinning at the owl. It was always easier to talk to animals. Looking around slowly, she saw it couldn't have been past three or so in the afternoon. No one seemed to be about, but she could hear laughter, faint footsteps crunching on freshly fallen snow…the smells were delicious! Meats, all different kinds. The smell of puddings, cakes, and aromatic teas made her mouth water.
Keeping the numerous blankets she'd woken up under curled tightly around her shoulders, Draika stood up, testing her legs. They were much better than her arms, like they hadn't been in the mist…she shook her head, turning to meet Tomonari's stare, and then to follow it to the door of Madam Pomfrey's office, where three figures stood. One, of course, was Madam Pomfrey, looking slightly irked at the concept of a patient out of bed without permission. The second, to Draika's puzzlement, was Miaka…and the third was unmistakably the headmaster Dumbledore, with his crystalline blue eyes behind half moon glasses and long silvery hair.
"…hello, Miaka…Madam Pomfrey…er…Headmaster…" She could not help but look down at the floor, not sure what she was supposed to do--if anything at all. The Headmaster and nurse exchanged a brief glance. Draika ground her teeth for a moment, not able to stand the silence much longer. "…I was just…going."
Tomonari fluttered up to her shoulder, finding easy purchase on the many blankets that draped his friend. Encouraged by the silence of the two adults, Draika began to walk out of the hospital wing. A quiet sound of movement behind her made her whirl around; nearly unseating Tomonari, who hooted loudly as he pecked Draika's ear in reprimand.
Neither Dumbledore nor Pomfrey had moved from their position, but something still made Draika uneasy. Taking a deep breath, she turned back and sat down on the bed resolutely.
"What is it?" She asked. What was with all the silent crap? And where had Miaka gone? She could've sworn the girl was just there. "Where'd Miaka go?"
"You won't need those blankets." Madam Pomfrey moved forward, breaking the spell of near-nausea that had settled over the ward. She removed all the blankets after Tomonari gave up his soft perch reluctantly, settling for a less steady grip of oily feathers. "That cloak'll work just fine. Stay out of the dungeons from now on."
"What about Miaka?"
Dumbledore sat down beside her, still staring off into space. He slowly turned his face to look at her, and Draika was surprised to see that his eyes were sad.
"Draika…we have never had a student in Hogwarts by the name of Miaka Zabini." He seemed unsure what to say to such a child, the first time something had been this hard for him in a very long time. "To tell you the bluntest truth…she never really existed at all."
Draika almost laughed. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard…she was just right here. She helped carry me down to the hospital wing…she was in all my classes…"
Madam Pomfrey had retreated to her office once again.
"But isn't it odd, Draika, that a second-year would share classes with a fifth-year? And be able to go into Hogsmeade without detection?" Dumbledore was almost sorry for what he was saying.
"…she bought me a Christmas present…" Draika clutched the metal talon on the cord around her neck, lifted it to look through the clear red gemstone it held. "…she got Hermione when I…"
"She was never really real."
"That can't be true…look at what she's done…" Draika choked on a sob, nearly biting her tongue in half to keep back the tears. But she knew it was true. Not once had a teacher called on Miaka to answer a question. Not once had any other student acknowledged her presence. "…she carried me." Another thought went through her mind. "Was she a…a ghost?"
"Of sorts." The Headmaster replied. "Sort of like a solid ghost…an imaginary, solid ghost…"
"So…I made her up? But…how…why didn't Hermione notice…?"
"We are not here to unravel the workings of the supernatural, Draika." He tried to smile. "Many questions will never be answered." He stood slowly, very old again. "You may go."
"…am I crazy?" She asked quietly as he left. He did not hear her, and Tomonari had no comment.
***
Her trunk was brough to a tower room, long unused. A large window covering the whole south wall let the unfamiliar sunlight stream in, dancing rainbows across the opposite wall. It was very pretty, Draika supposed. She might even come to appreciate it, if the opportunity to do so ever arrived. A large portion of the window was a glass door, leading out into nothing. Unlit torches adorned the other three walls, vaguely haunting in their emptiness. The ceiling curled up in a slanted sort of way, fitting into the tower almost perfectly.
By the time it got dark, the smells of all varieties of food coming from the kitchens was too much to ignore. Letting Tomonari out to fly to the Owlery, Draika exited the tower room. The staircase was long; many portraits and nonsensical paintings hung from the walls at random intervals. One in particular caught her eye…a black horse with dragon's wings, so bony, no muscle…it stood in a dark forest, looking around impatiently. Then it turned, looking straight at her with those white, dead eyes…
Draika bolted down the staircase, nearly breaking both her legs in her haste to escape from the suddenly smothering ambiance of the winding, sloping path. She did not stop until she reached the giant doors to the great hall.
=====
~Draika~
Chapter Sixteen: Frozen
"Tomonari?" Miaka blinked. "Strange."
"Just like you." Draika retorted, watching her owl contemplatively. "Pretty, isn't he?"
"Yeah." Miaka turned, examining her tousled red hair in a small pocket mirror. "So, are you going to the dance?"
"Hm?" Draika asked absently, moving Tomonari's cage to rest beside her trunk at the foot of her four-poster. "What dance?"
"What dance?" Miaka repeated, in almost-certain horror. "What dance?! THE dance. The Christmas dance. Where do you live? Do you live here?"
"I hope so." Draika sighed, rolling her eyes. "I forgot, that's all."
"Forgot."
"Yeah." The girl continued to situate her owl's cage, deliberately not looking up at her friend. "And no, I don't think I'm going to go."
"Why not? You could go with Blaise. He wouldn't mind." Miaka grinned as Draika finally looked up.
"…yeah?"
"You really are Ms. Oblivious, aren't you?"
"Yeah, sure, Miaka." Draika rolled her eyes. "I just don't want to go. I won't like it, I know."
"You've never gone, so how could you know?"
Miaka's bounciness was really starting to get on Draika's nerves. Her hand twitched, and Tomonari's cage clattered to the floor. The owl gave an indignant hoot, fixing his regal stare on Draika.
-Be careful, please.- He intoned.
"Er…no problem." Draika hastily, putting the cage back where it had been.
"What?" Miaka frowned momentarily, unable to keep up the expression for long. " 'No problem' what?"
"Nothing." Draika muttered. "If I go to the stupid dance, will you shut up?"
Not one bit offended, Miaka grinned, nearly knocking the other girl off her feet in a tackle-ish sort of hug. "Yup! But no promises, okay?" She bounced off down the stairs.
Suddenly chilled, Draika wrapped the feathered cloak around herself more tightly, sitting down on her bed. It was freezing in the dungeons. She was sleepy…she'd be warm back in bed, surely?
-Cold blood.- She heard Tomonari comment vaguely before she drifted off into dreams of numbing silver mist.
***
"…don't know…this morning…"
"…ice….Snape…"
"…ruddy owl….feathers…"
"…hand…freezing!"
Draika squinted her eyes open, suppressing a convulsive shiver. The world was moving…she felt herself swaying a bit, as if in a hammock…she blinked, her surroundings coming into sharper focus. She realized she was being carried by her hands and feet by two people, swaying a bit as they tried to keep her from hitting her head. It was cold…cold all over…
"Here…the next left." The sharp words buzzed in her ears, hurting like a sharp pinprick.
"Where…" She said, trying out her voice. When her transporters failed to take notice of her, she took a deep breath.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
The person carrying her arms screamed, dropping her promptly. Whoever held her feet had stopped completely, still holding her ankles resolutely.
"….owwww…" She lifted a shivering arm to rub her head, barely making out Miaka's wide eyes. "…where?"
"There was no cause to shout like that." A reprimanding voice said. Hermione set the girl's talons down, folding her arms as she looked down at Draika. "We were just taking you to the hospital wing, you know."
"Why…is she here?" Draika hissed between chattering teeth, glaring up at the Gryffindor girl.
"Because she was the only one I could find. Besides, she's really smart. She says that you shouldn't be sleeping in the dungeons during the winter if your blood has changed, too…"
If she had the strength, Draika would have leapt up to strangle her friend.
"Blood?"
"Of course." Hermione said with a sniff. "Your dragon blood."
Miaka smiled. "See? She's sharp."
"You…told? Knew?"
"I knew since I took you to the hospital wing. Just let me tell you…" Hermione picked up Draika's feet again as Miaka took Draika's arms again. "…those bloody gryphons saved your life, AGAIN. You'd better thank them."
Draika reflected upon the cloak. Everything was still so cold…had someone left any doors open?
"S'cold…" She repeated, antsy now that the carrying had begun again. "S'bloody c-cold…"
Hermione's eyes narrowed, but she managed to smile. "Just relax."
Miaka grinned, seemingly oblivious to Draika's differences. Though her outward appearance seemed knowing about it, she really was in the dark. Stupid girl. *laughs*
Draika wanted to wrap her arms around herself and cuddle into her cloak, but Miaka's stronghold on her wrists prevented that in the worst way. A black shape darted above. Hermione saw where the girl was looking, and nodded.
"Your owl's been in a right state ever since Miaka dragged you up. Molted something awful on my robes, little down feathers…" Draika squinted, seeing several tufts of grey-white insulation feathers.
"We're going to find someone." Hermione kept talking, more to keep Draika awake than for anything. "Everyone's outside, or getting ready."
"You…goin'?"
"Yes, I am. I don't have anyone to go with, of course, but I'm pretty sure everyone's expected to attend, and I don't want to get in trouble…"
At that point Draika zoned out on Hermione's chatter, swaying heavily between the two of them. She felt them stop, and heard hushed voices speaking urgently. She caught a few words, but nothing that her numbed brain could decipher. She could hear, and she knew they were making words, but she was too tired to translate them. She felt her transporters heft her a little higher, then let go as someone else took the heavy burden that was her.
It was a lot nicer to be carried in arms rather than in mid-air…more warmth. Draika's toes curled into the middle of her talons as she drifted off again, only to be reawakened minutes later as she was hoisted into a bed. The sheets were ice-cold…she shuddered, drawing her cloak around her with stiff arms, burying her face under the hood to accumulate her breath for warmth.
Then it was quiet. Someone placed something heavy over her and she shifted, unaccustomed to the weight.
-Cold blood, dear. Frozen blood.-
She laid there for what seemed like ages, sleep always just out of her reach. Sometimes she heard things, low voices…or was it just the wind? She couldn't see much from her little peephole out of the blankets. A few times the bed sagged, like someone was sitting on it or placing something there for a moment.
-Sraelyth will be so happy.-
The owl's mentioning of Sraelyth immediately perked her up. Draika flexed her fingers one at a time. Satisfied with the results, she rustled a wing. Immediately she heard more voices, clearer than she could ever remember hearing in her life. Something smelled delicious…dinner in the great hall? But it couldn't be time for the dance yet…she tried to lift her head, earning a sharp crack from her neck.
"…grrr…" She rubbed the sore spot, propping herself up with her cloaked arms. It felt much warmer now, almost too warm. But anything was better than that soul-freezing mist. Tomonari moved a bit to one side, watching Draika with both eyes.
-Don't overdo it, now…- His tone sounded almost mocking.
"Shut it." Draika grumbled, but couldn't help grinning at the owl. It was always easier to talk to animals. Looking around slowly, she saw it couldn't have been past three or so in the afternoon. No one seemed to be about, but she could hear laughter, faint footsteps crunching on freshly fallen snow…the smells were delicious! Meats, all different kinds. The smell of puddings, cakes, and aromatic teas made her mouth water.
Keeping the numerous blankets she'd woken up under curled tightly around her shoulders, Draika stood up, testing her legs. They were much better than her arms, like they hadn't been in the mist…she shook her head, turning to meet Tomonari's stare, and then to follow it to the door of Madam Pomfrey's office, where three figures stood. One, of course, was Madam Pomfrey, looking slightly irked at the concept of a patient out of bed without permission. The second, to Draika's puzzlement, was Miaka…and the third was unmistakably the headmaster Dumbledore, with his crystalline blue eyes behind half moon glasses and long silvery hair.
"…hello, Miaka…Madam Pomfrey…er…Headmaster…" She could not help but look down at the floor, not sure what she was supposed to do--if anything at all. The Headmaster and nurse exchanged a brief glance. Draika ground her teeth for a moment, not able to stand the silence much longer. "…I was just…going."
Tomonari fluttered up to her shoulder, finding easy purchase on the many blankets that draped his friend. Encouraged by the silence of the two adults, Draika began to walk out of the hospital wing. A quiet sound of movement behind her made her whirl around; nearly unseating Tomonari, who hooted loudly as he pecked Draika's ear in reprimand.
Neither Dumbledore nor Pomfrey had moved from their position, but something still made Draika uneasy. Taking a deep breath, she turned back and sat down on the bed resolutely.
"What is it?" She asked. What was with all the silent crap? And where had Miaka gone? She could've sworn the girl was just there. "Where'd Miaka go?"
"You won't need those blankets." Madam Pomfrey moved forward, breaking the spell of near-nausea that had settled over the ward. She removed all the blankets after Tomonari gave up his soft perch reluctantly, settling for a less steady grip of oily feathers. "That cloak'll work just fine. Stay out of the dungeons from now on."
"What about Miaka?"
Dumbledore sat down beside her, still staring off into space. He slowly turned his face to look at her, and Draika was surprised to see that his eyes were sad.
"Draika…we have never had a student in Hogwarts by the name of Miaka Zabini." He seemed unsure what to say to such a child, the first time something had been this hard for him in a very long time. "To tell you the bluntest truth…she never really existed at all."
Draika almost laughed. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard…she was just right here. She helped carry me down to the hospital wing…she was in all my classes…"
Madam Pomfrey had retreated to her office once again.
"But isn't it odd, Draika, that a second-year would share classes with a fifth-year? And be able to go into Hogsmeade without detection?" Dumbledore was almost sorry for what he was saying.
"…she bought me a Christmas present…" Draika clutched the metal talon on the cord around her neck, lifted it to look through the clear red gemstone it held. "…she got Hermione when I…"
"She was never really real."
"That can't be true…look at what she's done…" Draika choked on a sob, nearly biting her tongue in half to keep back the tears. But she knew it was true. Not once had a teacher called on Miaka to answer a question. Not once had any other student acknowledged her presence. "…she carried me." Another thought went through her mind. "Was she a…a ghost?"
"Of sorts." The Headmaster replied. "Sort of like a solid ghost…an imaginary, solid ghost…"
"So…I made her up? But…how…why didn't Hermione notice…?"
"We are not here to unravel the workings of the supernatural, Draika." He tried to smile. "Many questions will never be answered." He stood slowly, very old again. "You may go."
"…am I crazy?" She asked quietly as he left. He did not hear her, and Tomonari had no comment.
***
Her trunk was brough to a tower room, long unused. A large window covering the whole south wall let the unfamiliar sunlight stream in, dancing rainbows across the opposite wall. It was very pretty, Draika supposed. She might even come to appreciate it, if the opportunity to do so ever arrived. A large portion of the window was a glass door, leading out into nothing. Unlit torches adorned the other three walls, vaguely haunting in their emptiness. The ceiling curled up in a slanted sort of way, fitting into the tower almost perfectly.
By the time it got dark, the smells of all varieties of food coming from the kitchens was too much to ignore. Letting Tomonari out to fly to the Owlery, Draika exited the tower room. The staircase was long; many portraits and nonsensical paintings hung from the walls at random intervals. One in particular caught her eye…a black horse with dragon's wings, so bony, no muscle…it stood in a dark forest, looking around impatiently. Then it turned, looking straight at her with those white, dead eyes…
Draika bolted down the staircase, nearly breaking both her legs in her haste to escape from the suddenly smothering ambiance of the winding, sloping path. She did not stop until she reached the giant doors to the great hall.