Chapter Thirteen
Whispers in the Dark
Sunday was filled with catching up homework and loud arguing between her fellow Hufflepuffs. She didn't even remember going to sleep when Alexia woke Monday morning and stuffed her face right back into the pillow.
"You hafta get up," muttered Lorelei, "Flitwick will have a fit if you don't . . ."
"Then let him have one," Alexia grumbled.
Before she knew it Venefica, who stood on the other side of the bed with her wand out, had flung her out of bed.
"I HAD to do something," she said to a disgruntled Alexia as she dressed.
Alexia pulled on her clothes and looked out the window and she tied her tie. The sun was shining above the icy grounds and she could even hear a bird chirping in the distance. She rubbed her eyes, combed her hair and set off for the Great Hall.
She met Linnea and Piper outside, who were waiting for her.
"Hey Lex!" yelled Linnea, seeing her heading into the Great Hall.
She looked up and gave a very small smile. Linnea's face dropped and she moved towards her. As she sat down Linnea and Piper sat across from her.
"What's wrong?" asked Piper.
"Detention . . .again tonight," spat Alexia, stabbing her toast with the knife.
"You shouldn't have mouthed off," said Verity, who was eyeing the apples with great interest and then finally stabbed one with her fork and began to eat it.
"He shouldn't be such . . ." started Alexia but she wasn't able to finish.
At that moment Snape swept over to the table and glared at Alexia.
"Tonight will be your last night of detention," he muttered, looking quickly from her to her friends, "I don't have anymore time to waste with you. Seven sharp."
He walked away and Alexia clenched her teeth. Linnea looked very nervous.
"Nice . . .isn't he?" she asked.
"You wanna change spots with me?' asked Alexia, "Breena could whip up a good Polyjuice potion and you could go as me."
Linnea rolled her eyes.
"Nice try Lex, but you mouthed off, so you gotta pay the price," she said, smiling, "Besides, you should know, Polyjuice takes weeks to make."
Alexia rolled her eyes as Linnea and Piper headed back to the Gryffindor table and Alexia started on her piece of toast. She ate quietly as she watched Parvati read the Daily Prophet. As she read silently her jaw suddenly dropped.
"Bloody hell," she muttered, looking at the paper.
Alexia looked up from the notes she was going over and stared at Parvati.
"What?" she asked, swallowing the large chunk of toast that scratched down her throat.
"There was an struggle last night at Azkaban," said Parvati, "Looks like someone tried to get out, one of the high security prisoners."
"What?" asked Verity, who suddenly looked up from her food.
Parvati smoothed the paper out on the table and began to read.
"Last night, three men attempted to break into Azkaban," she read, "Officials refused to release who the men where trying to free. They said it wasn't a big deal to anyone, and no one should be alarmed."
"Not be alarmed?" asked Alexia, "What is he talking about? Someone tried to break into Azkaban."
But Parvati interrupted her.
"This reporter would just like to remind everyone that the last time this happened, You-Know-Who was behind it and his supporters are still among us." Parvati read, sounding scared, "Maybe the Ministry should keep that in mind."
Alexia finished drinking her milk and she rolled her eyes.
"The people at the ministry are so stupid, I mean how could they ignore signs like that? It's insane," she said.
Parvati kept her eyes glued to the paper and Alexia looked at her.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Well, it's just, everyone in Azkaban is dangerous and if someone was trying to get out that's really uncommon," said Parvati.
"But they didn't get out," said Verity, rolling her eyes, "I don't see. . ."
"Exactly, you don't see what this means," said Parvati sounding a little heated with anger, "A dangerous criminal tried to escape prison. . .something is going on."
Alexia simply shook her head. Parvati was imagining things; she had to be.
~***~
That night after the lessons were over Alexia left the bustling common room and headed down towards Snape's dungeon.
Just one more night, she told herself, Then I'll be rid of him.
Alexia entered the room and found a pile of disgusting body parts lying on the table. She nearly gagged seeing them, wondering what was going. Then Snape emerged from behind his desk, looking very aggravated.
"Tonight you'll be cleaning up the class room," he said, "Without magic and disposing the leftovers from the Advanced Potions Class. Get working."
He then left the room without a sound, leaving his office door open. Alexia sighed and began to collect the parts.
It consisted of everything from frog intestines to newt eyes, all of it swimming in blood. Alexia's head was swimming in the smell, but she knew she had to keep going. She grabbed hands full of the nasty leftovers and threw them into a bucket.
Why the bloody hell couldn't the students just have done this one their own? She thought, throwing a few frog skins into the bucket.
It seemed like hours and when she stopped for a moment she noticed she was up to her elbows in blood. She stood up and went to wash her hands. As she did she could hear Snape talking in the other room.
"I know this is serious, but I'm telling you there isn't anything we can do until we have proof," he said.
"There is plenty of proof, Severus, a goddam Death Eater tried to break out of Azkaban," said the voice, "What more proof do you need?"
"He tried, there is no other proof of who it is or if he had outside help," said Snape with a thud, apparently he slammed his hand down on the table.
"You know, I bet this has Malfoy's prints all over it," said the other voice.
Alexia heard Snape give an aggravated sigh.
"Look, we'll talk about this later," he said, "I have a student to check on."
Alexia sprinted towards the pile of guts and slipped on some blood, falling face first onto the stone floor of the dungeon. She yelped in pain and Snape ran toward her.
"What the hell happened Malfoy?" he asked.
He helped her up, a very un-Snape like thing to do and she looked up at him. Blood was streaming down her face and it was mixing with the blood that had been on the floor. She held up her sleeve to her face and tried to explain.
"I was walking and I slipped. . ." she stammered, but Snape cut her off.
"Go to the Hospital wing and have Madame Pomphrey fix you up," he snapped.
Lex nodded and Snape handed her an already bloody towel to soak most of the blood up.
She walked slowly up to the hospital wing, feeling slightly dizzy. She had made it up the stairs to the floor of the hospital wing, but collapsed just short of the door. As she lay there she could hear voices swimming in her head.
"You know, I bet this has Malfoy's prints all over it," said the voice of the man she had heard in Snape's office.
There was a mixture or screaming and yelling, angry words and the like. She could feel herself swimming in the cloud of my mind. The yells became echoed and distorted and then she saw herself in a room, a large cell and there was the same man from her previous dreams. His blond hair fell over his eyes and he glared up at her.
"They were miserable failures," he muttered, "Can't even do a simple task."
He sighed and stood up. He was slender and nearly 6' 3" and was pale as snow.
"But in due time I shall be out of this place," he hissed, "And then you will perish!"
With these words a cold sensation raced through her body and she started to scream.
She sat up and looked around. She was lying in a soft bed in the hospital wing and her head ached. She looked at the clock and saw it was nearly three AM. Madame Pomfrey came over and smiled at her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, setting a wet cloth of her forehead.
Alexia shrugged and gave a small grin.
"You'll be spending the night in here," Pomfrey said, "You may have another dizzy spell, and I want to make sure you're alright."
Alexia laid back and clothes her eyes. Madame Pomfrey smiled at her.
"Get some sleep," she said, as Alexia clothed her eyes and drifted back into sleep.
Whispers in the Dark
Sunday was filled with catching up homework and loud arguing between her fellow Hufflepuffs. She didn't even remember going to sleep when Alexia woke Monday morning and stuffed her face right back into the pillow.
"You hafta get up," muttered Lorelei, "Flitwick will have a fit if you don't . . ."
"Then let him have one," Alexia grumbled.
Before she knew it Venefica, who stood on the other side of the bed with her wand out, had flung her out of bed.
"I HAD to do something," she said to a disgruntled Alexia as she dressed.
Alexia pulled on her clothes and looked out the window and she tied her tie. The sun was shining above the icy grounds and she could even hear a bird chirping in the distance. She rubbed her eyes, combed her hair and set off for the Great Hall.
She met Linnea and Piper outside, who were waiting for her.
"Hey Lex!" yelled Linnea, seeing her heading into the Great Hall.
She looked up and gave a very small smile. Linnea's face dropped and she moved towards her. As she sat down Linnea and Piper sat across from her.
"What's wrong?" asked Piper.
"Detention . . .again tonight," spat Alexia, stabbing her toast with the knife.
"You shouldn't have mouthed off," said Verity, who was eyeing the apples with great interest and then finally stabbed one with her fork and began to eat it.
"He shouldn't be such . . ." started Alexia but she wasn't able to finish.
At that moment Snape swept over to the table and glared at Alexia.
"Tonight will be your last night of detention," he muttered, looking quickly from her to her friends, "I don't have anymore time to waste with you. Seven sharp."
He walked away and Alexia clenched her teeth. Linnea looked very nervous.
"Nice . . .isn't he?" she asked.
"You wanna change spots with me?' asked Alexia, "Breena could whip up a good Polyjuice potion and you could go as me."
Linnea rolled her eyes.
"Nice try Lex, but you mouthed off, so you gotta pay the price," she said, smiling, "Besides, you should know, Polyjuice takes weeks to make."
Alexia rolled her eyes as Linnea and Piper headed back to the Gryffindor table and Alexia started on her piece of toast. She ate quietly as she watched Parvati read the Daily Prophet. As she read silently her jaw suddenly dropped.
"Bloody hell," she muttered, looking at the paper.
Alexia looked up from the notes she was going over and stared at Parvati.
"What?" she asked, swallowing the large chunk of toast that scratched down her throat.
"There was an struggle last night at Azkaban," said Parvati, "Looks like someone tried to get out, one of the high security prisoners."
"What?" asked Verity, who suddenly looked up from her food.
Parvati smoothed the paper out on the table and began to read.
"Last night, three men attempted to break into Azkaban," she read, "Officials refused to release who the men where trying to free. They said it wasn't a big deal to anyone, and no one should be alarmed."
"Not be alarmed?" asked Alexia, "What is he talking about? Someone tried to break into Azkaban."
But Parvati interrupted her.
"This reporter would just like to remind everyone that the last time this happened, You-Know-Who was behind it and his supporters are still among us." Parvati read, sounding scared, "Maybe the Ministry should keep that in mind."
Alexia finished drinking her milk and she rolled her eyes.
"The people at the ministry are so stupid, I mean how could they ignore signs like that? It's insane," she said.
Parvati kept her eyes glued to the paper and Alexia looked at her.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Well, it's just, everyone in Azkaban is dangerous and if someone was trying to get out that's really uncommon," said Parvati.
"But they didn't get out," said Verity, rolling her eyes, "I don't see. . ."
"Exactly, you don't see what this means," said Parvati sounding a little heated with anger, "A dangerous criminal tried to escape prison. . .something is going on."
Alexia simply shook her head. Parvati was imagining things; she had to be.
~***~
That night after the lessons were over Alexia left the bustling common room and headed down towards Snape's dungeon.
Just one more night, she told herself, Then I'll be rid of him.
Alexia entered the room and found a pile of disgusting body parts lying on the table. She nearly gagged seeing them, wondering what was going. Then Snape emerged from behind his desk, looking very aggravated.
"Tonight you'll be cleaning up the class room," he said, "Without magic and disposing the leftovers from the Advanced Potions Class. Get working."
He then left the room without a sound, leaving his office door open. Alexia sighed and began to collect the parts.
It consisted of everything from frog intestines to newt eyes, all of it swimming in blood. Alexia's head was swimming in the smell, but she knew she had to keep going. She grabbed hands full of the nasty leftovers and threw them into a bucket.
Why the bloody hell couldn't the students just have done this one their own? She thought, throwing a few frog skins into the bucket.
It seemed like hours and when she stopped for a moment she noticed she was up to her elbows in blood. She stood up and went to wash her hands. As she did she could hear Snape talking in the other room.
"I know this is serious, but I'm telling you there isn't anything we can do until we have proof," he said.
"There is plenty of proof, Severus, a goddam Death Eater tried to break out of Azkaban," said the voice, "What more proof do you need?"
"He tried, there is no other proof of who it is or if he had outside help," said Snape with a thud, apparently he slammed his hand down on the table.
"You know, I bet this has Malfoy's prints all over it," said the other voice.
Alexia heard Snape give an aggravated sigh.
"Look, we'll talk about this later," he said, "I have a student to check on."
Alexia sprinted towards the pile of guts and slipped on some blood, falling face first onto the stone floor of the dungeon. She yelped in pain and Snape ran toward her.
"What the hell happened Malfoy?" he asked.
He helped her up, a very un-Snape like thing to do and she looked up at him. Blood was streaming down her face and it was mixing with the blood that had been on the floor. She held up her sleeve to her face and tried to explain.
"I was walking and I slipped. . ." she stammered, but Snape cut her off.
"Go to the Hospital wing and have Madame Pomphrey fix you up," he snapped.
Lex nodded and Snape handed her an already bloody towel to soak most of the blood up.
She walked slowly up to the hospital wing, feeling slightly dizzy. She had made it up the stairs to the floor of the hospital wing, but collapsed just short of the door. As she lay there she could hear voices swimming in her head.
"You know, I bet this has Malfoy's prints all over it," said the voice of the man she had heard in Snape's office.
There was a mixture or screaming and yelling, angry words and the like. She could feel herself swimming in the cloud of my mind. The yells became echoed and distorted and then she saw herself in a room, a large cell and there was the same man from her previous dreams. His blond hair fell over his eyes and he glared up at her.
"They were miserable failures," he muttered, "Can't even do a simple task."
He sighed and stood up. He was slender and nearly 6' 3" and was pale as snow.
"But in due time I shall be out of this place," he hissed, "And then you will perish!"
With these words a cold sensation raced through her body and she started to scream.
She sat up and looked around. She was lying in a soft bed in the hospital wing and her head ached. She looked at the clock and saw it was nearly three AM. Madame Pomfrey came over and smiled at her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, setting a wet cloth of her forehead.
Alexia shrugged and gave a small grin.
"You'll be spending the night in here," Pomfrey said, "You may have another dizzy spell, and I want to make sure you're alright."
Alexia laid back and clothes her eyes. Madame Pomfrey smiled at her.
"Get some sleep," she said, as Alexia clothed her eyes and drifted back into sleep.