Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the Harry Potter material. That all belongs to beloved JK. But I do own Rouge Magie, Lilith Septimius, and the so-called P-L-O-T. I also own all my extra characters in their small appearances, including Immerens Hostia, Kenneth Broadmoor, and some others, though Broadmoor's Quidditch ancestry belongs to JK, as found in Quidditch Through the Ages. I also do not own Lisa Ackerley (also known as Jade) she belongs to Jade Green Eyes here at And finally, I do not own the song "Sad But True" by Metallica. Metallica, or Lars, owns it, of course. PLEASE DON'T SUE MEEEE!
Note to Readers: I'm sorry. That seems to be the only thing I really can say. I'm sorry. It's just things have gotten pretty bad lately… the end of the school year was hard on me… and I'm just going through some bad mental stuff right now. I'm sorry. I thank all of you who have helped me through all of this… Laura, Sharon, Micky, Ashley, Maggie, Nessa, and all of you, thank you so much. I would have probably stopped writing altogether if it weren't for all of you. I almost did a couple of times. Things are just hard right now… I've just been so miserable lately… I think Maya Angelou said it best when she said, "There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you." Now I truly know what she meant.
I've been writing this chapter for so long, I was wondering when I'd ever finish. I remember writing parts of this in the girls' locker room at school before the summer. I remember writing in the forests of West Virginia, around a campfire with all my hillbilly relatives. I remember writing much of the Quidditch scenes on a beach in North Carolina. And most of all, I remember for so many months, every night, just before sleep made its way over my conscious, I would write. I really have no social life, do I?
You probably want another reason why this chapter is so late, so I'll give you it: I had some trouble convincing myself to write the ending of this chapter. Just out of my paranoid fear, I couldn't do it… I kept remembering this one time I was telling my parents (my mum and stepdad) about something that was going to happen in this fic. After I had told them… er… something about the final ending, my stepdad, Matt, whom I love dearly, suddenly and sharply remarked, "Well, that would never happen." Though I never said anything to him about it, that remark burned painfully into me… I kept hearing him say that over and over when I tried to write the ending to this chapter. And I couldn't do it. I'd break down to tears and I couldn't write the damn ending. I know, I'm pathetic. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't care about the probability of the things that happen in this fanfic, but just remembering how my own stepdad criticized me like that on my own writing and my own story… Are my ideas really that bad? I couldn't help but wonder 'would he say that again if he read this chapter?' I'm not JK! I'm not a perfect writer! As much as I want to be, I'm not perfect, I'll never be, just as I'll never be like JK… Oh well. There's my other reason, along with many others, and I wrote the damn ending anyway. Be happy, 'cause with the help of my wonderful plot-editor, Sharon (a.k.a. Skade), I was able to fix the horrible and improbable details… THANK YOU, SHARON!!! YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!!! ALL BOW DOWN TO THE ALMIGHT SHARON!!!
But anyway, some interesting things have happened through this time of my exile… For one, my birthday was on June 22nd. That was interesting, indeed… but I did benefit from the birthday. Mostly with some lovely Mythology books that have helped me with this fanfic in more ways that you can possibly imagine. And another thing, Rouge Magie (the character) has made an appearance in another HP fanfic on this very site of , one of my all-time favorite fics, "A Summer of Secrets" by Adele Elisabeth. And "A Summer of Secrets" is the sequel to yet another wonderful fic by Adele Elizabeth, "Harry Potter and the Keeper of Secrets". (READ IT!) I highly recommend you read all of Adele's fics, and I beg that you please do.
Also, please read the HP fanfic, "The Color of Jade" by Jade Green Eyes, being that the main character is… well… a character that appeared in chapter 12 and will be making an appearance in this very chapter. Maybe even in chapter 14 and throughout the rest of this fic if I can help it. "The Color of Jade" also happens to be a 'sister-story' to this fic. A 'sister-story', as Jade Green Eyes has explained, is two or more stories that relate to each other and have references to each other but do not focus on the same main plot. "The Color of Jade" is the only sister story to this fic so far, so please read it and please review. I really hate to see talent such talent as expressed in these fics go to waste. Okay, I think I've made enough plugs.
Oh, by the way, I've re-edited every single chapter in this fic, which are posted as of now, so hopefully the grammar mistakes aren't so bad. I even added (or took out) little bits that needed to be. And I've changed the name of chapter 12, just because I hated it that much. It was hard to re-edit the first couple chapters of this fic… I just hate them so much, it's painful to read them… oh well. At least they're edited now.
Oh, and I got a puppy on July 19! My early Christmas present, I presume. She's a 9-week-old (as of July 19), black Scottish terrier (Scottie) named 'Dammit Nessie'. She's very cute. Go and take a look at her at She certainly took away a lot of writing time, but she was certainly worth it.
Oh, and this particular chapter is another attempt at a songfic. "Sad But True" by Metallica. One of my favorites. The lyrics are in the middle of the pages in Italics. I'm sure you can make them out.
Goodness, how I've rambled! Anywho, here are the personal thanks:
Kiota – How did I get so many reviews? I'm not exactly sure… 'cept the fact that I review so many fics and so many people are nice enough to return the favor. That's all, I think. But, please, in your next review, try to say something about the actual story… And I am sorry about this chapter's lateness…
Anarlina – Alright, alright… I won't kill Cho… So many of you people are Pro-Cho… very strange. Oh well. Enjoy the chapter.
The Jew in Gryffindor – No, I assure you Rouge will not go to the ball with Draco… that'd ruin both of their reputations, wouldn't it? You'll just have to see, won't you? giggles
Jade Green Eyes – Jade green eyes, yes, yes, yes… I'd like to put your fanfic persona in chapter 14 too… Just 'cause I like ya, MGD! HAPPY FING BIRTHDAY!!! Yeah, it's about time I get into my damn plot, isn't it? I've re-edited every. Single. Goddamn. Mother Fing chapter, so hopefully there're aren't as many grammar errors as before… I really like your new penname. It suits you, if I do say so myself. I am very sorry about this chapter's lateness… I just had to fix the ending because of how incredibly improbable it was before I fixed it. I am very sorry. And as for me writing in a notebook instead of typing it up straightforward, I -do- get more accomplished that way, because you can write in a notebook anytime, anywhere. Computers are not always available. And I like your HP fanfic VERY MUCH, as you can probably tell from my lil' ol' plug. I hope you don't mind… I just want you to be read.
Adele Elisabeth – I don't think I can affirm that Rouge likes George… I just put that bit in to deflate Rouge's ego… I think. Besides, who wouldn't want to hit on George? giggles Anyway, thank you so much again for Rouge's cameo appearance in your fic… It means so much to me. Thanks. Oh, and you now hold the honor of my favorite complaining review. 'Twas too funny! And you do have full rights to do whatever you will to Rouge, so please feel free to 'blow her brains out' if you wish sweet smile. Please feel free to speak ill of me. I hear enough of it already, it's starting to loose it's effect on me. Suicide attempts only go so far… So I hope you are not so incredibly peeved now.
She's a Star - dun dun DUN, indeed! S'bout time I finally got into the plot, isn't it? I'm still debating with myself about Rouge/Draco. Mostly because I'm too damn paranoid… But if enough people approve it, it'll happen. We'll see.
LittleMaggie – "The Game of Love and War and Whatnot"! I love it! Can I use that for the name for chapter 14?! PLEASE?! Anyway, thank you so much for all your compliments… You're one of my favorite reviewers, and I really mean that. You mean so much to me… but I still can't exactly grasp why you, along with some others, compare me with beloved JK. I only just turned 13-years-old! I'm only a kid! I guess I'm just a bit scared of the praise… because I don't know why I get it. I don't know what makes me such a great writer, or so you people say. I'm just afraid whatever it is… I'll loose it. Because I don't know what it is! Sorry, I'm strange, I know… But I do thank you dearly for you lovely praise. You've always been able to touch me so deeply… Oh, and I don't have a beta-reader. I don't have the patience for one. :-) Silly, I know. Oh, and by the way, who's this person who calls you sparky…? Redlion, I believe it is… Oh, and thank you for getting me, yet another reviewer. :-) Thanks. And you're such a beautiful poet… And for a final note, thanks for the therapy sessions via e-mail recently.
nikkimarie – Thanks again for putting Rouge in your story… It was just too awesome.
CaptinNobody – Here it is. Finally. Sorry for the long wait… But I'm also tired of waiting for chapter 3 of Ask PMP and I just know it'll be up soon… or I'll just have to kill you. smiles sweetly Am I right, or am I right? But sorry, my head hasn't exploded yet.
CloudChick – Alright, alright… Cho's not gonna die… You Pro-Cho people… strange. Anyway, here's the chapter.
Feather – I cannot thank you enough, my dearest Laurie-chan. Your support during this hard time has meant so much to me… You've really kept me going. Sometimes I think I would have just quit writing altogether if it weren't for you. And I am very sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out… I'm really sorry. I just hope I can always depend on you to be there. Thanks. - And I still love getting NeoGreetings from you.
PepsiAngel – Harry/Rouge or Ron/Rouge is NEVER EVER happening. I can easily assure you that. Never ever happening… ever. Well, you'll get to see what Rouge and Draco are up to in this very chapter… but the details of it shall be uncovered in chapter 14. Just in case not everyone gets it...
Mrs Norris – Alright. Lemme give you an example of Original Character/Draco Mary-Sue-ness… Have you heard of the HP fanfic "Harry Potter and the story of Eliza"? That is the most textbook Mary-Sue fanfiction on this damned site, and Eliza, the main character, of course, falls in love with Draco and turns him into a 'good guy' gags. I know, it's very sickening. Even though that could never happen to Draco in this fic, considering that both Rouge and Draco are evil, and they will never truly love each other… I suppose I could make this ficcy a little Rouge/Draco… But remember, even if I do, they will never actually love each other. Never. Ever. It just can't be done.
mackenzie common ) – No, I'm not beloved JK, Mack. I'm only 13-years-old, for crying out loud! But anyway, I'm glad you like this fic as much as you do, and don't worry… I'll keep writing. I don't think I can stop now, can I?
PotterGirl – Well, I would answer your questions… but that would be redundant, because all your questions should be answered in this very chapter. So read, and be enlightened.
Gen Osbourne(OzzyroxIluvhim) ) – Well, I informed you, are you gonna read? I do hope so… I like hearing you say that this fic "ROCKS". Oh, and remember, WWOD! (What Would Ozzy Do?) XD
Neshomeh – Alright. I think I have a few things to say to you… Despite the fact that I very much appreciate your reviews and constructive criticism, I did get a fairly nasty tremor from most recent review… Like a tremor bad enough to convince me to give up writing. Only thanks to some of my lovely friends am I still writing. Sorry, I just take criticism too much to heart. My paranoia convinces me that even some of the most lighthearted and helpful criticism is an act of venomous censure. Never mind. Here's the answers to some of your questions:
Where's Hagrid? I don't know. I really don't. I'm not JK, don't ask me. I'm only 13, you can't expect me to be perfect, can you? I'll try to work him into future chapters, but I can't promise anything.
Where's Severus? Chapter seven and in future chapters. Have patience, please.
WHY are character pairings such a big deal? Good point. They're not. Don't EVER think that character pairings will ever make a point in the plot(s), I'm just making a big deal out of them for the Yule Ball because I really don't care about character pairings, and I just want to make everyone reading this happy. That's all. I'm just too lazy and paranoid to pick 'who's going with who', so I'm making you all do it. That's the only reason.
What's with the "kill the spare" thing? It doesn't matter anymore. I got rid of it. Just because of your review. Don't you feel special?
And as for your questions about the plot(s). I don't know. I don't really care. I'm just trying to tell a story here. I don't care that it's not perfect (okay, that's a lie… a big lie). I don't care that I'm not JK (that's a lie too). The plot doesn't matter. Just read.
And as for your comments on my poor grammar and spelling, I re-edited every single goddamn chapter, so hopefully these pathetic chapters aren't so bad anymore…
redlion – Well, I suppose I must thank Maggie for yet another reader… God, I love her. Thank you for your reviews (by the way, you were reviewer 150. throws around confetti and stuff fing congrats) and I'm sorry so many of my chapters are so short… I'm working on that, though… I'm just getting the hang of this whole 'writing' thing. And as for your question about how many questions this fic will have… well, if my calculations are correct in my plot list… the chapters will go up into the 40s. Hope that makes you happy. And as for your question about Voldie cursing Rouge in chapter 10, he cursed her to keep her in line… or at least that's what I had in mind. It's like when kids get punishment from their parents when they disobey them. It's the same thing. Get it? And, YES!!! DEATH TO CHO AND ALL HER EVIL MARY-SUE MINIONS!!! MWAHAHAHA!!! coughs Yeah. There will be an attack by Voldie and an attack by Rouge later on. Be patient. And Cho is not going to come around. I just said that to please the Pro-Cho people.
Ashley – Sorry. I can't promise you a happy ending. If you don't believe Rouge saving the damn, fing day by dying isn't a happy ending, I'm sorry. I'm not JK.
The Kosmic V-Babe – MEEP! Oh god… Such wonderful compliments from one of my all-time favorite fanfic authors… I'm… I'm speechless. Well, not quite. THANK YOU!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! You're too kind… you really are. It means a lot to me that you reviewed. Finally. Thank you.
We're up to 162 reviews. Can we say, "woah"? Well, most of them are just reviews pestering me to get this chapter out, not that they didn't work. They did. Very much so. Thanks to you all so much and I hope for more reviews to come… I love y'all! Thanks so much!
This chapter is dedicated to my lovely, punk-rocking friend, Nessa, for always being so persistent in keeping me writing, and, of course, for her birthday on July 21. Happy Birthday, MGD, and I hope you enjoy this chapter (besides the fact that it's a Metallica songfic) as much as I had fun at your awesome party.
I'd also like to send out a 'Happy Birthday!' to LittleMaggie, who turned fifteen on July 25. Happy Birthday, Maggie!
Oh, and one last thanks to two people: My mom, for giving me the idea for the Exhaurio potion, and to Sharon, for helping me perfect it. Thank you both. And an extra thank you to Sharon for helping me fix the details to the ending of this chapter.
And one last shout-out to Jason. I hope you feel better, Jason! I'm still worried about you!
Okay. I'm done. Read, and as the Sirius marketing division would say, "share and enjoy!" (Read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Please.)
Chapter 13: Sad But True
Hey
I'm your life
I'm the one who takes you there
"I assure you it will look like an accident. It is only Quidditch. You said yourself to stay ' inconspicuous', so there's no point in rushing to drastic measures. Keep it subtle. More damage will be done to Potter this way, Father, emotional scars that'll probably last him a lifetime, and Dumbledore won't suspect a thing. Even he can't know where Potter's affections lie. Potter's emotions are the best weapons to use against him."
"Then proceed with uttermost care. I still have my doubts about this plan of yours. And if you, young Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle are found out... Even the slightest slip that the accident was planned-"
"Nothing will go wrong, my lord, have a little faith in your daughter."
Rouge turned away from Voldemort, but Wormtail blocked her path.
"Are you tired of always being afraid, Rouge? Is that what's brought you to this...?"
Rouge awoke with a cry muffled by the pillows she had buried her face into. Her hair clung matted to her head with cold sweat, and tears stained her face. She sighed and dried her tears with a sweeping movement of her hand, as though she had done it a million times before, as though it were a routine. Rouge was sure it was about as routine for her to dry her tears every morning as it was for Lavender and Parvati to put on makeup. It was like covering up her misery with the back of her hand to go through another day of lies and façades unnoticed. But as Rouge touched her face she recoiled at her own hand.
My hands, she thought, they're so cold.
Nightmares were what caused her to wake up in this state. Not exactly nightmares, but recent memories out to haunt her with guilt. She cursed her conscience. The current 'dream-feature' was a meeting in the forbidden forest with Voldemort that was held only a little more than a month ago. Rouge had to arrange the meeting herself since it was her own plan being held for discussion. Even though Draco was an accomplice in the plan, he was blissfully (at least for him) absent at the meeting and Rouge wasn't in the least surprised.
But her conscience must have thought she had been an unusually good little girl lately because the dream was thoughtfully edited of her father's curses that she had to dodge. But Voldemort wasn't her nightmare anymore; she was on his good side for now. It was Wormtail's words that haunted her. "Are you tired of always being afraid, Rouge? Is that what's brought you to this...?"
But what else is there to be brought to?
Scars, Rouge told herself with bitter acceptance, new scars, bruises, and paranoid fear.
Hey
I'm your life
I'm the one who cares
She turned on her side, opening the tightly drawn curtains of her four-poster bed.
When it comes to scars and obedience, the latter is the better choice, she thought with the firmness of a final word to the regretful part of her own mind.
She peered through the peek in the curtains at the small, stand-up calendar she kept on her bedside table. Saturday, December 16, it read. She flipped her calendar back to November, just to take a look. Three different dates were marked with three different events, just to remind herself of what had happened these last few weeks. She flipped the calendar back to December, where one of the only two marks on that month was on that very day, where it clearly read in tiny letters, 'Quidditch Match - Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin.' She looked over at her watch that lay on its side beside the calendar, and for once, she wasn't late, which had become another customary routine.
Taking her time, she drew back the curtains and winced at the hazy morning light as it reached her eyes. Cursing the light, she crept over to her trunk at the end of her bed as if to not wake Lavender and Parvati, but with the air of a child sneaking over to the cookie jar away from mother's watchful eye. Hermione had already left the dormitory, her bed left not just neatly made, but perfectly made. It had become an unspoken competition between them, seeing who could rise the earliest and whose bed could be made the tidiest. Rouge hadn't won since Halloween and she grew to learn that losing was her role to play.
But there were more important games to be played today.
Rouge dressed quickly, pulling on the white blouse and the gray, knee-length skirt that went under the school robes. In short, she wore the simple parts of the Hogwarts uniform, even though the uniform wasn't required on weekends. She didn't want to be individual today; she didn't want to stand out in any way, she wanted to be inconspicuous. She warily glanced around the sedate dormitory one last time out of habitual paranoia before turning her full attention to her trunk.
Piles of folded robes and neglected books lay in the bottom of Rouge's trunk, and she pushed them aside, pulling out a simple, silver flask. She held it gingerly in her hands as though it were something delicate and precious. Not the flask, but the potion inside it was her only proof of friendship, or at least that's what Rouge told herself.
Saturday, November 4, her calendar read, 'the meeting.'
They
they betray
I'm your only true friend now
"You don't really want to do his bidding, do you, Rouge? This can't be agreeing with your moral sense," Severus questioned her just after the meeting in the forest that Rouge so frequently dreamed about, and Rouge admitted to Severus that he was right. He then handed her the flask that she held in her hands now.
"It's an Exhaurio potion," he explained. "An emotion-altering solution. It abolishes of regret, guilt, misery, fear, and other such negative emotions. Cleanses the body of them, so to speak. It should help you manage that disinclined instinct."
Rouge stared at the potion incredulously, sending Severus the same look. "Why would you want to help me, Severus?"
The corners of Severus's mouth quivered into a smile that didn't suit him. "We are both Death Eaters, are we not? We're part of the same family, our Lord's family, and it's our duty to look out for one another," he stated righteously and Rouge was taken aback by the unnatural kindness and sweetness in his voice. Specious reasoning, Rouge thought, but couldn't help but being drawn in by the thought of being looked out for.
"Come to me when the flask empties, but only after hours, and come alone. We need to keep this a secret – a secret from everyone. Even from our fellow Death Eaters," Severus instructed, and Rouge was disconcerted by how much it still sounded like his usual, professor-like commands.
"I still don't see why you would want to help me..." Rouge trailed off as Severus suddenly clapped a hand to her shoulder, making her stop. He was bent over so that they were eye-to-eye and a knavish grin spread across his face.
"Because I'm your friend."
They
they'll betray
I'm forever there
Friends and secrets, Rouge thought and smiled to herself as she unscrewed the lid of the flask. The whole concept appealed to her inevitable, instinctual teenage girlishness. A clouded mist hovered over the rim of the flash, emitting from the opaque, white potion. It smelled strongly of something almost like mint, and the mist wasn't just white, but speckled with green and brown. In Rouge's eyes, it was beautiful.
She swallowed a mouthful, not needing more than a sip, and the Exhaurio potion's effect was almost instantaneous. Like the smoothest of untouched water it slipped down her throat, and like ice against bare and vulnerable skin, it froze her from the inside. She felt frost-like and tingling numbness spreading inside her, but Rouge welcomed it. She wanted to feel numb. She didn't want to feel anymore.
The shades of gray from the stone dormitory walls and the weak morning sunlight from the window swirled around her like water down the drain as the cold reached her senses. Rouge fell to her knees, leaning on her trunk for support as the feeling of emptiness overshadowed all other feeling.
The room slowly came back into focus, flickering in and out, but clear enough for her to stand. Her hands trembled violently as she screwed the lid of the flask back on and she carefully put it back in her trunk. Rouge shut her eyes, waiting for the world around her to become steady, breathing heavily and swaying lightly. Opening her eyes again slowly, she eyed herself in the full-body-length mirror that Lavender kept on the opposite wall. Her hair was slightly tousled, fighting the sleekness it once had. Her skin was no longer delicate alabaster, but deathly pale, and the whites of her eyes were bloodshot.
Red with crying, she told herself, they're red because I've been crying.
Rouge tried not to feel frightened by her own appearance. In fact, she didn't have to. The Exhaurio potion rid her of fear, but something in the back of her mind told her she should be afraid, telling her that this wasn't right, and she instantly rounded upon herself.
What's the matter? Rouge thought angrily, her hand balled up into fists, shaking with unexplainable rage. Have you forgotten what you look like? This is you.
She stopped and mentally shook herself out of frustration. Drinking the Exhaurio potion left her feeling empty, as it was supposed to, but it also left her feeling unstable. She'd have sudden, inexplicable outbursts where she'd unexpectedly be overcome with one of the emotions the potion hid. But Rouge always found a way to overlook these outbursts as a problem since they never lasted long.
Once she had regained her equanimity,Rouge soundlessly crept out of the dormitory. She indifferently wondered as she stumbled blearily down the stairs, her coordination failing her, why she'd have those outbursts. Severus hadn't warned her of any side effects. From what he told her, the Exhaurio potion was perfectly safe, and Rouge blindly believed him without even the slightest query. She nonchalantly decided it was nothing to worry about and she gave it no more thought.
It may have been earlier than the usual time Rouge would awake, but she was still very late for breakfast. Students were crowding out of the Great Hall, but Rouge quickly dashed in and grabbed a piece of toast smeared with marmalade, as she was still trying to acquire a taste for British food. It was more difficult than you'd suspect. She joined the herd of students as they went through the Entrance Hall and she watched them with boredom as she ate her toast, ignoring the back of her mind as it told her she should be feeling fearfully worried and guilty about something.
She mindlessly listened to her classmates' chatter of "Ravenclaw's gonna flatten Slytherin!" and so on. About three-fourths of the student population supported blue flags and rosettes, but a couple of times, out of the corner of her eye, Rouge swore she saw a black rose pinned to someone's chest instead of blue. But before she got a second look, the flower-in-question would return to being blue, if it ever was anything else. She mentally shook herself again, harder this time, convincing herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her, and nothing more.
The students marched across the grounds to their house's side of the Quidditch stands and Rouge found a seat in the highest row of the Gryffindor side. She glanced around the stands and her eyes fell on the large group of Gryffindors seated in front of her. Under normal influences she would have looked away, for the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team, along with Hermione, was that group.
Rouge had recently developed a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill will towards the Quidditch team (and she never liked Hermione much anyway). Though she knew it wasn't their fault, she couldn't help but feel bitter resentment towards them since she hadn't made the Keeper position, and the reason for it didn't make her infuriation much better.
Wednesday, November 8, she remembered her calendar read, 'medical examination.'
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
sad but true
Exactly a week after the Quidditch tryouts, Madam Hooch requested her to have a medical examination by Madam Pomfrey due to the questionable state of Rouge's shoulder, especially since it was only a Quaffle that had hit her and had caused her so much pain. Reluctantly, Rouge went to the examination, but her stubbornness made it far more than limited. She refused to answer any of Madam Pomfrey's questions about how she had gotten so many cuts and bruises, and why she had never gone to the Hospital Wing before to be treated. Hesitantly, Rouge let her heal a few of her superficial lacerations, but only the gash on her shoulder and the few injuries that weren't hidden by her robes.Madam Pomfrey mumbled and muttered questioningly to herself as she tended to Rouge, as though trying to piece together the causes and effects, though with some obvious difficulty. There were also times when Madam Pomfrey would just watch Rouge, taking note of her physical expressions, gestures, reactions and such, all observed with carefully narrowed eyes and noted with a busy quill, but Rouge still failed to see the importance of any of this.
Frankly, Rouge's cuts and bruises seemed to be the only thing physically and medically wrong with her, but she still didn't make the cut for the Quidditch team, and it confused and annoyed her greatly. But Rouge hadn't speculated that the rest of the examination could possibly be the reason for it. This wasn't completely irrational logic because nothing much seemed to happen during the rest of the examination. At least Rouge thought so.
After Madam Pomfrey had healed Rouge as much as the stubborn patient would allow, the suspicious nurse brought out a potion in a goblet with wisps of steam drifting off the top. It was dark banana yellow and so thick that, for a moment, Rouge thought she'd have to chew it before she swallowed.
Madam Pomfrey shoved the goblet in Rouge's hands and she stared at it.
"I have to drink this?" she asked uncertainly.
"Just drink," Madam Pomfrey commanded.
Rouge took a deep breath and took the largest swallow of the potion that she could. She shut her eyes defensively and expected a foul medicinal taste, like an obstinate child taking their medicine from a nanny, but she didn't taste anything. For a moment Rouge wondered if she had really drank any of the potion at all, but she could feel it dripping down her throat. So instinctively, she took another swallow, and another, and another, but she still couldn't taste the potion. The only thing that the potion seemed to do was give vague warmth in her throat and chest, but not much to take note of.
Once she had finished the entire goblet, she looked up at Madam Pomfrey with an expectantly nonplussed look. Madam Pomfrey returned it, waiting for something to happen.
Then, something happened.
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
you know it's sad but true
The world around Rouge suddenly went sharp. Every line and every detail of the world suddenly became so clear that it was impossible to miss even the smallest edge. Her depth perception throbbed until it was so precise that she couldn't tell what was near and what was far. Colors screamed, lights roared, and the world's complexity hit her full on. Her mind raced too fast for her to follow. It was too much. Everything was too much.
With a whimpered cry, her hands flew to her eyes and she tightly shut them, the empty goblet falling to the floor with a loud clatter. She had to block everything out. She couldn't give into this. The warmth from the potion in her throat and chest increased. Hotter and hotter it became until she felt her collar bone burn. Rouge began to tear up with pain and she became angry with herself at her display of weakness.
Her mental berating and raging flare of sudden emotion only made her cry bitter harder sobs. Through bleary eyes, Rouge saw Madam Pomfrey shove another potion goblet in her hand with another order to drink. Rouge obeyed immediately, finishing the potion in a single gulp. It could have been plain water for all Rouge knew, but she also didn't seem in the right mind to tell. She simply sat there, silent, still, and in minor shock. Her mind had gone totally blank, and she tried to recount what had just happened in the last minute and it didn't quite work. Her mind went from drinking the first potion to drinking the next with nothing in-between. Her mind merely couldn't take in all she had seen and felt in that minute, thus leaving a gaping hole in her memory.
Another minute passed as Rouge's mind attempted to regain normal composure after its unrecorded tremor, with only the sound of Madam Pomfrey's quill scratching away madly in the background. After Rouge seemed to sustain a normal state of mind, Madam Pomfrey's quill fell silent but ready, and she cleared her throat to get Rouge's attention.
Rouge's stare slowly drifted up to meet Madam Pomfrey's, her dark blue eyes still somewhat glazed-over and her bottom lip trembling.
"Now, tell me, Miss Magie," Madam Pomfrey began with a cough to cover up an accusing tone, "have you been previously, or are you currently taking some form of ... medication?"
A thought of the Exhaurio potion Severus had given her ran across Rouge's mind, but trailing behind it were Severus's words, "keep this a secret... a secret from everyone." So Rouge obeyed by firmly and vehemently denying such an implication – almost too vehement, Madam Pomfrey thought – and Madam Pomfrey raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Ah," she uttered, her quill once again scribbling away. She looked up occasionally, eyeing Rouge suspiciously as though looking for something, for proof, for assurance, for some explanation to prove what Madam Pomfrey was guessing and to make the pieces of this puzzle fall in line.
"What about cosmetic charms?" Madam Pomfrey pressed on, and Rouge became petulant.
"Need you ask that, Madam Pomfrey?" Rouge snapped at the nurse. "I'm a girl and a teenage girl at that. Do you really find it necessary to ask whether I use cosmetic charms?"
Madam Pomfrey blinked and stared peevishly at Rouge.
"I see," she claimed, once again taking note with her quill.
You
you're my mask
you're my cover, my shelter
Madam Pomfrey resumed questioning and with each question she'd look up expectantly at Rouge as though waiting for something. Possibly waiting for her to slip, but Rouge failed to see the importance of the questions. Rouge seemed impatient, exasperated, and with a teenage air of 'so what?' and Madam Pomfrey wasn't much better. She was irritated with Rouge's sarcastic and recalcitrant attitude, and she also wasn't forbearingwith Rouge's petty answers in this pointless questioning, because Madam Pomfrey already had all the information she needed for her proof.
As soon as Madam Pomfrey and Rouge had had their fill of each other, Madam Pomfrey dismissed Rouge from the Hospital Wing, but Rouge couldn't help but feel that there was something Madam Pomfrey wasn't telling her. She ignored the feeling just as she did with all of her other feelings with the help of her beloved Exhaurio potion, and was left to wait for the results of the Quidditch tryouts.
Monday, November 13, she remembered her calendar read, 'Quidditch Tryout Results.'
You
you're my mask
you're the one who's blamed
It was only five days later when the results were announced and Rouge was, to say the least, less than happy when Transfiguration ended, the class in which Professor McGonagall had announced the results. Rouge stormed out the door of the classroom as the bell rang, firmly deciding to make a visit to Madam Hooch's office after the day's classes were over, while forcing herself to ignore the distant cheers for that certain, new, redheaded Keeper that seemed so expected by everyone... except Rouge.
She made quite an entrance when she had finally found Madam Hooch's office at the end of the day, bursting through the door, throwing every French swear she could think of every which way and Madam Hooch was less than impressed. She stared placidly at Rouge, waiting for her craze to die down. When Rouge seemed to be the calmest she could be, with testy sedation, Madam Hooch spoke up.
"May I help you?"
Rouge glowered at her.
"Why didn't I get on the team?"
"Have you bothered to consider, possibly even attempted to fathom that you may just be inept for the position?"
"No." Rouge was past being merely incorrigible.
Calmly, Madam Hooch reached into her desk and pulled out a simple file. She fingered through the contents and pulled out a single piece of parchment, reading it silently as Rouge waited impatiently.
"You're that Magie girl, aren't you?" Madam Hooch asked, looking up over the edge of the parchment, and she could tell she was correct by how Rouge narrowed her eyes. Madam Hooch continued to read. When she answered, she didn't bother looking up.
"...Medically disqualified," Madam Hooch quoted from the parchment, and Rouge froze, but it didn't take long for her anger to change its direction and take charge.
"Medically disqualified?!" she shrieked. "How can I be medically disqualified?! I'm perfectly healthy! I'm fine!"
"Now that is something neither of us are to decide," Madam Hooch interrupted sharply, riled by and unable to take Rouge's disrespect any longer. "This decision came straight from your medical examination by Madam Pomfrey, a trained professional, and that's the final word. Besides, I think Weasley will be a fine Keeper."
Do
do my work
do my dirty work, scapegoat
It was indeed the final word and all other words Rouge said on the matter were brushed aside and ignored. So after Madam Hooch dismissed Rouge from her office, Rouge thundered down the corridor. She saw Ron, alone for once, out of the corner of her eye, but she neglected him with disregard even as he approached her. She didn't want to take his pity or give him his deserved praise, so Rouge rudely quickened her pace, easily losing Ron down the corridor.
Rouge admitted that over the days since the Quidditch tryouts, she and Ron had grown to be rather good friends, but every time they met there was a feeling of nervousness, as though there was a cloud of guilt surrounding them. But they tried to be friends and became quite close, for a few days, at least, until the day they found out the results of the Quidditch tryouts when Rouge finally lost Ron and she found Draco instead.
Do
do my deeds
for you're the one who's shamed
It was raining on the Quidditch field now. Not exactly raining, but a dreary sort of prickle. The skies had bulged with rain for months, but had only recently started to actually rain, as though the water in the gray sky had been waiting all this time to fall for the perfect melodramatic effect. Rain could obviously choose its timing quite well, but the rain still couldn't dampen the spirits of a certain Quidditch-loving Gryffindor, Harry Potter.
Fourteen figures marched onto the misty field through the veil of trivial rainfall, seven robed in blue, and seven robed in green. The crowd gave a wild cheer, just a motion blur of waving arms and colored flags. It was the excitement only a Quidditch game could bring.
Harry could single out Draco Malfoy from the figures clad in green, and to his astonishment, Draco looked straight up at him, as though he didn't even have to find him in the crowd, as though he knew he'd be sitting right there. Harry blinked. No, Draco couldn't be looking at him... He looked around, trying to follow Draco's gaze, and his eyes fell on the blue-eyed girl sitting behind him. Rouge. It had to be Rouge Draco was looking at... But why? And how did he distinguish her in the crowd so quickly...?
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
sad but true
Harry turned back around in his seat, shaking his head, completely confounded, but as he turned he saw that Ron, who was sitting beside Harry, was looking behind where they sat as well. No, he wasn't just looking, he was glaring behind them. The new, redheaded Gryffindor Keeper must have traced Draco's stare as well and was now glaring at Rouge, who looked away very quickly. How odd.
This didn't help Harry puzzlement. The last time he checked, Ron and Rouge were friends, despite Harry's own liking, but now... Ron was glaring at her. Something must have happened between them, though Ron never said anything about it... How very odd.
Ron had turned back around again to watch the start of the game, but Harry was still watching Rouge. He could distinctly hear her mutter to herself, rather resignedly, in a mechanical manner of recitation, "...I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them." What was that suppose to mean? Harry turned back around in his seat, away from Rouge, shaking his head once more. How very odd indeed.
The shrill scream of Madam Hooch's silver whistle echoed through the stands, matching the encouraging yells and cheers from the crowds. Fourteen blurs of green and blue shot into the air, and the commentary began:
"And they're off! It's the first game of the Quidditch season and it's Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin! This match has been awaited with much anticipation because of Quidditch's long and unsought absence over the Tri Wizard Tournament, and I'm sure we'll get quite a long-hoped-for show...!"
Lee Jordan's usual commentary rang through the stands and the field over the noise of the crowd and the patter of rain. As always, Jordan was closely watched over by Professor McGonagall, who was hoping she wouldn't have Jordan's Gryffindor favoritism to deal with in this match, considering there was no one to favor besides Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Oh, how naïve these Professors were in the ways of schoolyard sports and rivalry.
"Ravenclaw in possession. One of the new Ravenclaw Chasers, Immerens Hostia, tears up the field towards the Slytherin goal posts. This is Hostia's first year on the team, though he's been a reserve for two years now, and just to think he's only a fourth year. Hostia really needed the sudden wave of graduations Ravenclaw had last year to give him a chance for the position. 'Good thing too. I hear his father was giving Dumbledore some trouble because Immerens wasn't on the team, and no one wants to be on the bad side of an Auror... er... Just kidding, Professor."
Hostia was definitely tearing up the field, dodging all other players with a swerve of his broom and a swish of his blue robes. But just as he almost reached the Slytherin scoring area, he met something he hadn't intended on. A large, brutal, green-robed giant of a something who rammed sides with Hostia, and seized the Quaffle as Hostia was knocked off course by the force of the blow. A moan of disappointment came from the Ravenclaw-supporters, and despite their complaints and yells of 'FOUL!', Madam Hooch awarded nothing.
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
you know it's sad but true
"Aww, and the Quaffle is taken by the Slytherin Captain and Chaser, Marcus Flint, who's now on his tenth year here at Hogwarts! Can't seem to pass your classes, can you, Flint?" Jordan's commentary turned into taunting and he was given a harsh warning glance from McGonagall. Jordan continued with a nervous cough.
"Flint makes his way back up toward the Ravenclaw goal posts, dodges the Ravenclaw Chasers, and passes the Quaffle to Slytherin Chaser, Warrington... but, no! Warrington drops the Quaffle as he's nearly hit by a Bludger, sent by the Ravenclaw Beater, Kenneth Broadmoor. Slytherin's Montague intercepts the Quaffle, but is closely followed by Broadmoor.
"It seems that the new Ravenclaw team is depending on blood for their defense skill this year... no, I don't mean any offense to anyone by that, Professor. I just mean to say that one of the new players in their new batch, Ravenclaw Beater, Kenneth Broadmoor, has Quidditch ancestry. Kenneth happens to be the grandson of Kevin Broadmoor, who with his brother, Karl, were world famous Beaters for the Falmouth Falcons, whose hard play antics resulted in no less than fourteen suspensions from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Don't forget the Falcons' club motto, folks! 'Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads'."
The game currently being played between the fourteen Hogwarts Quidditch-players would have made Kevin and Karl Broadmoor proud. There was much shoving and leering that suggested malevolence among opposing Chasers, and the two Ravenclaw Beaters were using brutality that was worthy of even the Falmouth Falcons. With the way things were going, it would be quite a surprise if a few heads didn't break. In any case, the rain seemed completely unnoticed and appeared to have to effect on the game whatsoever. All the players were too well trained to be daunted by weather.
Montague, with the Quaffle under his arm, soared down the field towards the Ravenclaw end, trying desperately to loose the two Beaters tailing him. He looked back at the two every couple of seconds, waiting and timing for some means of escape, but when he looked back for the nth time, after almost flying into one of his fellow Chasers, there was only Terry Boot, the other Ravenclaw Beater, in pursuit. Where'd the other one go?
Montague was answered, mere feet from the goal posts, by the loud, satisfying 'crack' of a bat against metal and the painful 'smack' of metal against bone when a large, hard something hit him square in the upper spine.
The commentary soon caught up.
Hate
I'm your hate
I'm your hate when you want love
"Montague of Slytherin is about to score...! Wait...! No! HA! Montague drops the Quaffle as he's hit by a speeding Bludger sent by Ravenclaw Beater, Kenneth Broadmoor! Good show, Ravenclaw Beaters, Good show! Ravenclaw Chaser, Stewart Ackerley – a second year, this being his first year on the team – gains possession and is speeding up the field, dodges Flint and Warrington, swerves around Montague, who's the one rolled over on his broom – Don't worry, Montague. Severe back damage builds character. Heaven knows you need it... Only joking, Professor!
"Ackerley enters the scoring area – where are those Slytherin Beaters?! – He approaches Slytherin Keeper, Bletchley, Ackerley shoots! Bletchley dives...!"
There was an agonizing silence over the stands as Jordan paused for dramatic effect, drawing breath.
"RAVENCLAW SCORES!"
The crowd exploded. The jubilant cheers drowned out even some of the Slytherins' most venomous hisses. Ravenclaw had the first score after Quidditch's year of absence, and to top it off, it was against Slytherin. It was just another way good conquered evil, even on the Quidditch pitch.
"Slytherin in possession," Jordan continued over the gradually dying noise of the crowd. "Warrington speeds toward the Ravenclaw end. Ooh! Near miss from a Bludger sent by Terry Boot. Passes to Flint. Passes to Montague. Back to Warrington, nice formation there. Warrington enters the scoring area, he approaches Lisa Ackerley – Come on, Jade!"
"Jordan," McGonagall growled, "no favoritism, no matter what houses."
"But of course, Professor. I wouldn't even dream of such a thing as favoritism-"
"Just get on with the commentary, Jordan."
"Right-o, Professor. Warrington's gathering momentum, he jets forward, he shoots...!"
Dramatic pause.
Pay
pay the price
pay, for nothing's fair
"LISA ACKERLEY SAVES!"
Rejoicing ensued.
"And an expert save from the new Ravenclaw Captain, Lisa Ackerley, or also known around school as 'Jade'," Jordan continued, fighting down laughter at Slytherin's poor performance. "This is the sixth-year-Ackerley's first year as Captain of the team, taking over for Roger Davies, who was just recently stripped of his position on the team due to – what was it, Professor? Immoral behavior, wasn't it?" Jordan prompted, obviously grinning, but quickly changed the subject back to Lisa to slake McGonagall's wrath, "This is the start of Jade's fifth year on the team and we should expect to see a fine Quidditch season with her unrivaled talent as a Keeper.
"Jade passes to Ravenclaw Chaser, Mandy Brocklehurst, a fifth year. Brocklehurst heads toward the Slytherin end, ducks under Warrington and Montague, but Flint seems to be coming to intercept her her... He's gonna crash into her...! FOUL!" Jordan ended in shout.
Flint had come from the side with a look of intent to collide, but he slowed just before he hit Brocklehurst, and jammed his elbow in her stomach instead. Flint also seized the opportunity as Brocklehurst rolled over in pain on her broom, to take the Quaffle. But the stands soon joined in the cries.
"COBBING!" they yelled. "FOUL!"
Madam Hooch's silver whistle screeched as she flew up to meet the two Chasers.
"Penalty shot to Ravenclaw for Cobbing – excessive use of elbows!" she awarded Brocklehurst over the blaring agreement of the Ravenclaw-supporters, the objections of the Slytherins, and the patter of steadily increasing rain. Flint hardly had a chance to protest before Madam Hooch headed back down to the muddy ground and Mandy ripped the Quaffle from his hands with a triumphant smirk. Flint simply gaped bitterly.
Harry cheered right along with the crowd, occasional laughs mixed in with his bubbly happiness, but he couldn't help but feel perturbed by the presence of a silence behind him among the racket of the stands. He looked back at the source of this silence and there, still right behind him, was Rouge. Her eyes were transfixed on the game... no, above the game. Harry turned to follow her piercing gaze. Far above the game.
There were four flying figures up there that seemed to escape the rest of the school's notice. Harry could barely tell who they were it was so far up. He scanned the field to see who was missing, and he soon identified the specks of movement in the stormy sky, the great masses of gray making it difficult to make them out, as both the Seekers and both the Slytherin Beaters. But what was Draco Malfoy, Cho Chang, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle doing all the way up there?
Who Harry recognized as Draco was the highest of the four, and Cho was closely tailing him. This didn't surprise Harry. Cho always followed her opposing Seeker; it was her well-known technique to find the Snitch. But the Snitch hadn't been seen once this entire game, and why was Draco leading Cho so far up over the game...? Harry pondered this. No, Draco wasn't leading Cho, was he? She was just following him... right?
Harry scanned the field again, and noticed that there was only one Bludger mixed in with the war of six Chasers, two Keepers, and two Beaters. The other Bludger was being hit back and forth between the two figures Harry guessed to be the Slytherin Beaters, Crabbe and Goyle. They were hitting the Bludger back and forth... like they were trying to keep it with them... like they were saving it for later.
Only one word drifted across Harry's mind:
HUH?
Hey
I'm your life
I'm the one who took you here
But the following words of Lee Jordan's commentary got Harry's attention, as well as the rest of the stands.
"...and Warrington takes another Bludger sent its way by Broadmoor and – Wait a minute. Was that the Snitch?!"
Harry's heart leapt with excitement. Cho was much of a better Seeker than Malfoy. She just had to catch the Snitch. It's just the way things were. Good always triumphed over evil. That's just the way things are.
And how true that was.
And that's what caused Rouge to have a sudden throe of fear. No! Not now! This could ruin everything! Rouge's panicked gaze jerked up from where the Snitch was fluttering near the ground, only a glint of gold, and her eyes met with Draco's despite the hundred feet between them.
This wasn't part of the plan. The Snitch... they hadn't planned on the Snitch showing up so soon.
All effects of the Exhaurio potion seemed to disappear, leaving Rouge scared senseless. The whole plan, her whole plan, what she worked on for over a month, could so easily be ruined if they didn't do something. Cho was already in a dive, racing towards the ground. They had to do something, and they had to do something now.
Rouge stared from Cho to Draco, and he could read what Rouge's expression said even from how far he was above the game.
'Do it and do it NOW.'
Hey
I'm your life
and I no longer care
Draco turned to look at Crabbe and Goyle, who were densely staring up at him for instruction, and he swerved on his broomstick at an incisively certain angle with practiced precision. Crabbe and Goyle, surprisingly enough, recognized this as their cue and acted immediately. Even they could follow planned orders with enough drilling and practice.
And Rouge's mind, once again, was lulled. Despite the panic she saw in her accomplices, and the panic she knew she should feel herself, the Exhaurio potion took control and her mind was yet again distant from reality's pressing matters.
A few of these pressing matters tried to make their presence noticed in Rouge's mind, a few of these being, 'What if those Beaters screw up?', 'What if the height is miscalculated?', 'What if Cho catches the Snitch?' All of these 'what-ifs' swirled around Rouge's clouded mind in vain, but one thought penetrated the Exhaurio potion's effects in her current state.
'I really hope that house-elf did its job.'
Thursday, December 14, she remembered her calendar read, 'employ a house-elf.'
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
sad but true
Rouge waited patiently in the Gryffindor common room, sitting in an armchair in front of the smoldering ashes in the fireplace, only a few embers surviving to shed their luminous light as the wee hours of Friday morning crept over the darkened Gryffindor Tower.
And there she sat waiting, but not of no avail, as she knew it would be. Darkness still flooded the common room, but flickers of movement could be made out as they came though the portrait hole. As the barely audible padding of tiny feet advanced upon the fireplace, a group of three or four creatures could be seen in the ill light. Bat-eared. Wide-eyed. Pencil-nosed. Long-fingered and footed.
House-elves.
All wearing tea towels stamped with the Hogwarts crest, neatly tied like togas, they saw to the fire with expert silence and care. They swept the hearth, dusted the mantelpiece, and got a blaze kindled in the fireplace with such swiftness and precaution as though it were as natural for them to clean as it was to breathe. They lived for their work, and Rouge knew it.
Within minutes, the common room was pristine and immaculate, and Rouge went completely unnoticed. The small flock of creatures passed her armchair on their way back to the portrait hole, but one straggled behind, brushing at a near nonexistent particle of dust on the carpet at the edge of Rouge's armchair. With a quick reach and grab of her arm, Rouge had the solitary house-elf dangling in front of her, holding it by its arm. The dangling house-elf gave a small, high-pitched squeak, but gave no protest of this treatment. Rouge regarded it with a critical stare.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"B-B-Barmy," the house-elf stammered, taken aback by being snatched up so suddenly without warning, and by the peculiar calmness in Rouge's tone when she had taken hold of poor Barmy in mid-stride with such urgency.
"Barmy? Well, I have a little job for you, Barmy," Rouge stated in that same oddly calm tone. "Do you know where Madame Hooch's office is?"
"Yes, miss, Barmy knows-"
"Good. And do you know the locked cabinet where she keeps the crate of Quidditch balls?"
"Yes, miss, but Barm-" Barmy was interrupted again as Rouge shoved a small vial of a cream-like potion in his free hand.
"Now, listen, Barmy. You are going to get into Madame Hooch's office, open that cabinet, open that crate, and pour the contents of that vial on the Bludger on your left. A Bludger is the black iron ball that should be shaking slightly beneath its restraints. Can you do this for me, Barmy?"
Barmy gave a lame, quivering nod and Rouge beamed at him with a sort of manic happiness.
"Excellent, Barmy. Brilliant," she lilted merrily. "Because you know I don't want to see Professor Dumbledore about you and your habit of refusing to work... You know it would pain me to request that you be freed," she threatened cheerfully, and after this, Barmy nodded with much more enthusiasm, his big brown eyes much bigger and his bat-ears flapping. Well, so much for coaxing him. It still worked.
"No, no, no, miss. Barmy is doing work for miss," Barmy squeaked. "Miss isn't needing to see Barmy's master, no, no, she isn't."
Rouge chortled to herself as she set the threatened but dutiful house-elf back on the floor and watched him clutch the vial to his chest, turning to exit through the portrait hole.
"Oh, and one last thing, Barmy. A bit of advice, really." Rouge smiled demonically to herself. "It's really quite an advantage to have a friend. Especially one who can make potions."
Rouge trusted that Barmy, in fact, had done the job she had given him since she found the potion vial she had given him, empty on her nightstand later Friday morning. And besides, house-elves were such agreeable creatures and servants, never once had a house-elf disobeyed her before, and nothing was different now.
I'm your truth, telling lies
I'm your reasoned alibis
I'm inside open your eyes
I'm you
The Slytherin Beaters formatted themselves side-by-side, they aimed their bats and swung in unison, hitting their lone, captive Bludger with a 'thunk!'It sped like a bullet after its blue-robed quarry, and, having an advantage with its speed, it caught up quickly. Cho, focused entirely on the Snitch, which was still fluttering a hundred feet below, never saw it coming.
'WHACK!'
The pursuing Bludger hit her from behind between her shoulder blades, upsetting her balance on her Comet 260 as she dived towards the ground. Her grip on her broom handle failed her and she slipped, falling headfirst to the ground. She screamed, flailing her arms helplessly as she hurtled to the ground through the trivial drizzle of rain.
The commentary died, the racket of the stands died, and the battles between the Chasers came to a halt as well. A wide-eyed shock seeped through the Quidditch field, as the only sound left across the grounds became Cho's piercing screams.
Rouge held her breath. As all eyes of the school were on Cho as she dropped ever faster, Rouge watched the tarnished Bludger expectantly. The Bludger that had rebounded away from its prey after its impact on the unfortunate Ms. Chang was now headed instinctively toward the nearest player, but before it reached within a few good yards from its next victim, it stopped, hanging in midair.
For an instant, the Bludger just hung suspended there, then began to vibrate in protest beneath its invisible, intangible restraints, fighting to move forward. And as though the Bludger had been testing the strength of a giant rubber band, it slung backwards with the force of a cannon back towards its blue-robed, black-haired target, and with much better aim.
A stomach-turning 'crrraaaccccccckk' echoed through the Quidditch pitch as the tampered Bludger made impact on Cho Chang for the second time, but this time to the head.
Right between the eyes.
Unsurprisingly, Cho's shrill screams died forthwith, but another sound took its place. Hundreds of new screams, shouts, and cries emitted from the bystander students and teachers of the stands as a hysteria broke the shock of this tragedy, which managed to occur in all of less than eight seconds since the Snitch was spotted.
The horror-stuck eyes of the school turned to Dumbledore as he rushed out to the field through the sheet of mist and rainfall, his wand raised. But something about the mournful way he moved, the regretful air about him as he charmed the motionless Ms. Chang to a slow a stop before she struck the ground, the knowing feeling that raised the hairs on the back of the student body's necks. It all strongly suggested that now it would take a great deal most than just a charm to help Cho, if anything could.
Rouge sat back in her seat and watched the settling havoc and mayhem with a forced look of fright. Really, she regretted sitting behind the Gryffindor triumvirate, and wished for nothing more than to see the priceless and genuine expression of heartbroken trauma she was sure Harry Potter wore on his face.
Sad But True
Note to Readers: There. Was it worth the wait? No, probably not. Oh well. I tried.
goes into commercial-mode What can Severus be up to with the Exhaurio potion and why is it so seriously messing up Rouge? Why is Rouge medically disqualified for the Quidditch team? What happened between Rouge and Ron and what does Draco have to do with it? Why did I even bother trying to kill Cho? (My apologies to all those 'Pro-Cho'. I had to!) Will Rouge and her Slytherin helpers get caught for this heinous crime? THIS ENOUGH PLOT FOR YOU PEOPLE?! OF COURSE NOT!!! THERE'S MORE PLOT THAN THIS!!! Stay tuned for the other answers! Same bat time! Same bat network!
NOTE: If you actually have something to really say about this chapter, I suggest you type it up in the review box now, BUT DON'T POST THE REVIEW YET. I don't want you to loose any current opinions of the chapter while it's still fresh in your mind, but, hopefully, you will have a few more things to say after these next few paragraphs… (go write your review now, but don't post it!)
…because it's what you've all been waiting for! (Well, some of you, anyway.)
THE SHIPPINGS POLL!!! cheers But before I get into that, fellow author, Neshomeh, brought up a very good point. I quote from her most recent review, 'WHY are character pairings such a big deal?' I told her the answer, and now I shall tell you: They aren't. Character pairings ARE NOT a big deal and they don't make a scrap of difference in my excuse for a plot. I am just seeming to make a big deal about character pairings because I don't want to choose 'who's going with who' for the Yule Ball. That's why I'm making you all do it for me by kindly asking you to just add your character pairing opinion/vote to your review! Just remember: What the final decisions really don't really matter, whatsoever, it's just for the Yule Ball, and maybe some other completely non sequitur scenes, and I'm lazy and paranoid.
Reminder for people who are new to the fabulous world of fanfiction: 'shippings' are romantic parings between two (or sometimes more for love-triangles, squares, pentagons, etc) characters in a certain fanfiction story. No big deal, really.
RULES AND NOTES FOR THE POLL:
- NO slash pairing, PLEASE. No yaoi, yuri, or any other gay or lesbian pairings, PLEASE. I have nothing against slash pairings, I just do not wish to write it. Some readers may find such parings offensive, and besides, my parents, some of my teachers, and some of my grandparents are reading this fic. I'd still like a good and risqué-less reputation with them, thankyouverymuch.
- You may choose whichever character shippings you'd like, with the exception of the slash rule, and please limit the pairings of characters I have not otherwise acknowledged in this fanfiction unless you make a specific request and have a good reason for my putting the pairing in this fanfiction. Please, do not feel intimidated to request for any certain pairing, but if the pairing is very specific and… well… unique… and not exactly common to this site, I'd appreciate a request and/or reason in your opinion/vote.
- As I said before, character pairings will have no effect on the plot, whatsoever, but if you have an idea for some way a certain character pairing may effect the plot, please feel free to mention it to me. I'd very much appreciate it. And this goes for any ideas you may wish to bring to my attention. I love knowing what you guys think and I enjoy knowing your opinions and ideas.
- You don't have to include every single character. Just the characters YOU want to be paired. And if YOU specifically want a character(s) to be alone (and maybe even miserable) please say so. This is all about what you want. Let loose! Have some fun, here! You aren't limited to voting for just one pairing, vote for as many as you'd like!
- Alright, this rule is specifically about Rouge. Rouge/Harry or Rouge/Ron is NEVER going to happen. My apologies to those people who were interested in that happening, but I'm just not up for taking the risk. Though you are free to mention that you were interested in those pairings, I'd be very flattered, but I'm still firm in my decision that those pairings are never going to happen. And you don't have to include Rouge in your opinion/vote at all! Heck, you can decide that you'd like her to be alone and miserable! It's all about what you want.
- If the pairing you wanted and/or were voting for don't win the poll, or a pairing you DIDN'T want to win the poll does win the poll, don't loose hope. If you keep bothering me about it I may find a way for your opinion to pull through. And if you give any suggestions on to how it may work in this fanfic, I'll be more likely to agree with it. Your opinions don't stop here! Feel completely free to give your suggestions and opinions any time!
So with that said and done, on to the voting! Just add your pairing opinion/vote onto your review and make me, and possibly many other readers, VERY HAPPY!!! So click that review button at the right bottom corner of this page (if you haven't already), type all up that you need/want to, and press the lovely submit button! If for some reason you want your opinion/vote to be confidential and not able to be viewed by the public through reviewing, please just send me your opinion/vote via e-mail! My e-mail address is available on my profile bio thing.
Thank you ever so much for participating! And even if you don't participate, I still love ya' anyway for reading!
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!