A/N: oh goodness... my fan base is dwindling. I don't even see the point in posting, but i'll continue, just for Remi, Sarah, courtney, and Linny, my loyal readers of every story I have, and for Jan McNeville, so that she can keep leaving me tips in my reviews and maybe someday I'll be as good as you, Jan! *blows kisses to loyal readers* anyone else who reads this, well, I wouldn't know, you don't review, ya meanies!
Ah, okay, I guess I'm driving 'yall nuts by now. Go read already.
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Chapter 5: Dormitory Trouble
It was eleven thirty seven, and there were only three people left in the Slytherin common room - the triplets. The other students had all scuffled off early enough, and Isamu, Michael, Remi, and Jakob had the common sense to get a bit of sleep, since they had a game the following morning. But the two brothers and one sister just weren't tired.
"We have a game tomorrow," Tomas sighed, staring off at the fire. "We should be in bed."
"Well, captain, go to bed," Rakka said restlessly, throwing her legs over the arm of the chair, studying her Head Girl badge in the firelight.
"You're the Head Girl, you go to bed, set a good example," he retorted.
"I'm supposed to stay up until you are all in bed," she pointed out. "Not that I wouldn't be up if you had gone to bed any earlier. I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight, unless perhaps, mister Head Boy and captain of the team over here takes his own advice."
"Are you that worried about playing Gryffindor tomorrow?" Zeke asked boredly.
"Of course not," Rakka sighed, putting her badge back on. "We're going to cream them. They lost their two best players, and their new ones are pathetic. They don't stand a chance."
"I know," Tomas chuckled. "It's going to be a good year, I think."
"Yeah," Zeke agreed. Rakka nodded. The conversation fell to pieces, each of the three lost in their thoughts. The room was quiet, save for the crackling in the hearth, for several minutes, until the grandfather clock across the room informed them rather brazenly that it was 12 o'clock.
"The Witching hour is upon us," Rakka sighed, feeling no more ready for sleep than she had three hours earlier.
"Of course, the witch is the only one who cares," Zekiel laughed lightly. Rakka rolled her eyes. A the bells faded out, the sound of hurried footsteps on the flagstone steps caught their attention. Rakka turned to see Isamu, rushing into the main room from the girl's dormitories.
"Rakka! Come, quick! It's Sienna! There's something wrong with her!" Isamu breathed, gasping.
Rakka jumped to her feet, running after her cousin, down the stairs to the girls' rooms, where there was a crowd of first and second year girls in a panic, surrounding one bed.
"Head Girl, coming through," Rakka snapped, pushing the twelve and eleven year old children out of her way as gently as she could bear to, gasping in horror.
Sienna Haridon, a fair young fourth year student, was not one prone to nightmares or any other nonsense. Even when she burned her arm badly last year in Potions class, she'd kept a straight face. She was an outstanding example of keeping one's cool under fire, even when it was a literal fire that errupted when a failed potion came in contact with her skin. And now she was curled up in the fetal position, her body convulsing with both sobs and muscle spasms that ran all across her arms and legs.
Rakka rushed over, grabbing the crying girl's arm, which was more than feverishly hot, trying to pull her hands away from her face, an effort which was met with screams on the part of the younger girl.
"Sshh," Rakka cooed. "Sienna, darling, listen to me. What's wrong?"
Sienna stopped sobbing only long enough to scream, a feral howl of pure agony. The other girls all yelped in suprise, then scrambled away as hurried footsteps rushing down the flagstone caught Rakka's attention.
"Boys!" a few of the first year students cried out, scattering like startled little pheasants.
"You're not supposed to come in here," Rakka snapped.
"We heard screaming," Tomas answered firmly. Sienna, as though to confirm that there had, indeed, been screaming, did it again.
"I'm going to get Professor Snape," Zeke turned toward the door, when Rakka grabbed his arm.
"No," Rakka said firmly. "There is no need to disturb him yet. As Head Girl, I'm telling you not to."
"And as your older brother, I'm telling you, we need to get him," Zeke argued.
"I don't have time for this," Rakka snapped, turning back to the girl. "Tomas? Do you think you can carry her to the infirmary?"
Tomas didn't say anything, he just nodded, wrapping his arms under the sheet she was laying on and lifting her in it.
"Dear God, she's burning up badly. That's no normal fever," Tomas lowered her again, rubbing his forearm.
"I know," Rakka answered, grabbing a blanket from another bed, tossing it to Tomas, who draped it over his arms. Carefully, Rakka rolled the crying girl into Tomas' waiting arms.
"Rakka, just let me go get Snape," Zeke yelled, starting to lose his temper. "This is obviously more than just a little girl with a nightmare we're dealing with, here!"
"I know!" Rakka snapped. "If you want to help, escort Tomas and Sienna to the infirmary. Someone has to be there to explain to any teachers that might ask questions on the way there. Once I have all the girls settled in again," Rakka took a deep breath, then sighed in resignation. "I'll go talk to Snape."
"Alright," Zeke shook his head, following Tomas back up the staircase.
"Now, all of you, back to bed," Rakka snapped. "And I pray for your welfare that all of you are where you belong when I get back. No funny business, you hear me?"
After seeing Rakka yelling at the two bigger, older boys, and having them listen, all the girls that had been whispering and rustling about agreed that it was a good idea to listen as well. A lump was already forming in Rakka's throat before she left the room, and it was nearly choking her by the time she got to Snape's office door.
"Professor Snape?" Rakka asked, quietly at first, then knocked firmly. "Professor Snape? It's me, Rakka. You in there?"
There was a slight shuffing on the other side of the door, and a rather disheveled looking Snape answered the door.
"Bloody hell, girl, do you know what time it is?" he asked, pushing his mussed up hair out of his face.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Professor Snape," Rakka apologized quickly. "But we had a litttle problem. One of our girls, Sienna Haridon, you might know her."
"She was the one who had that bad burn accident last year, right?" Snape rubbed the sleep from one eye, then the other, and blinked hard.
"Yeah. The one who didn't even scream when half the skin on her arm was nearly burned off. Something's wrong with her. She was screaming, sobbing, convuslions.. an unnaturally high fever. I had to throw a blanket over Tomas' arms so he could carry her to the infirmary. They should be there by now, and I think Madam Pomfrey is going to want to see you, and me as well, no doubt."
"Bloody hell," Snape murmured again, grabbing his robe and pulling it over himself, closing it tightly in the front to cover the fact that his shirt was unbuttoned, before rushing down the hallway, Rakka beside him, toward the infirmary.
Ah, okay, I guess I'm driving 'yall nuts by now. Go read already.
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Chapter 5: Dormitory Trouble
It was eleven thirty seven, and there were only three people left in the Slytherin common room - the triplets. The other students had all scuffled off early enough, and Isamu, Michael, Remi, and Jakob had the common sense to get a bit of sleep, since they had a game the following morning. But the two brothers and one sister just weren't tired.
"We have a game tomorrow," Tomas sighed, staring off at the fire. "We should be in bed."
"Well, captain, go to bed," Rakka said restlessly, throwing her legs over the arm of the chair, studying her Head Girl badge in the firelight.
"You're the Head Girl, you go to bed, set a good example," he retorted.
"I'm supposed to stay up until you are all in bed," she pointed out. "Not that I wouldn't be up if you had gone to bed any earlier. I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight, unless perhaps, mister Head Boy and captain of the team over here takes his own advice."
"Are you that worried about playing Gryffindor tomorrow?" Zeke asked boredly.
"Of course not," Rakka sighed, putting her badge back on. "We're going to cream them. They lost their two best players, and their new ones are pathetic. They don't stand a chance."
"I know," Tomas chuckled. "It's going to be a good year, I think."
"Yeah," Zeke agreed. Rakka nodded. The conversation fell to pieces, each of the three lost in their thoughts. The room was quiet, save for the crackling in the hearth, for several minutes, until the grandfather clock across the room informed them rather brazenly that it was 12 o'clock.
"The Witching hour is upon us," Rakka sighed, feeling no more ready for sleep than she had three hours earlier.
"Of course, the witch is the only one who cares," Zekiel laughed lightly. Rakka rolled her eyes. A the bells faded out, the sound of hurried footsteps on the flagstone steps caught their attention. Rakka turned to see Isamu, rushing into the main room from the girl's dormitories.
"Rakka! Come, quick! It's Sienna! There's something wrong with her!" Isamu breathed, gasping.
Rakka jumped to her feet, running after her cousin, down the stairs to the girls' rooms, where there was a crowd of first and second year girls in a panic, surrounding one bed.
"Head Girl, coming through," Rakka snapped, pushing the twelve and eleven year old children out of her way as gently as she could bear to, gasping in horror.
Sienna Haridon, a fair young fourth year student, was not one prone to nightmares or any other nonsense. Even when she burned her arm badly last year in Potions class, she'd kept a straight face. She was an outstanding example of keeping one's cool under fire, even when it was a literal fire that errupted when a failed potion came in contact with her skin. And now she was curled up in the fetal position, her body convulsing with both sobs and muscle spasms that ran all across her arms and legs.
Rakka rushed over, grabbing the crying girl's arm, which was more than feverishly hot, trying to pull her hands away from her face, an effort which was met with screams on the part of the younger girl.
"Sshh," Rakka cooed. "Sienna, darling, listen to me. What's wrong?"
Sienna stopped sobbing only long enough to scream, a feral howl of pure agony. The other girls all yelped in suprise, then scrambled away as hurried footsteps rushing down the flagstone caught Rakka's attention.
"Boys!" a few of the first year students cried out, scattering like startled little pheasants.
"You're not supposed to come in here," Rakka snapped.
"We heard screaming," Tomas answered firmly. Sienna, as though to confirm that there had, indeed, been screaming, did it again.
"I'm going to get Professor Snape," Zeke turned toward the door, when Rakka grabbed his arm.
"No," Rakka said firmly. "There is no need to disturb him yet. As Head Girl, I'm telling you not to."
"And as your older brother, I'm telling you, we need to get him," Zeke argued.
"I don't have time for this," Rakka snapped, turning back to the girl. "Tomas? Do you think you can carry her to the infirmary?"
Tomas didn't say anything, he just nodded, wrapping his arms under the sheet she was laying on and lifting her in it.
"Dear God, she's burning up badly. That's no normal fever," Tomas lowered her again, rubbing his forearm.
"I know," Rakka answered, grabbing a blanket from another bed, tossing it to Tomas, who draped it over his arms. Carefully, Rakka rolled the crying girl into Tomas' waiting arms.
"Rakka, just let me go get Snape," Zeke yelled, starting to lose his temper. "This is obviously more than just a little girl with a nightmare we're dealing with, here!"
"I know!" Rakka snapped. "If you want to help, escort Tomas and Sienna to the infirmary. Someone has to be there to explain to any teachers that might ask questions on the way there. Once I have all the girls settled in again," Rakka took a deep breath, then sighed in resignation. "I'll go talk to Snape."
"Alright," Zeke shook his head, following Tomas back up the staircase.
"Now, all of you, back to bed," Rakka snapped. "And I pray for your welfare that all of you are where you belong when I get back. No funny business, you hear me?"
After seeing Rakka yelling at the two bigger, older boys, and having them listen, all the girls that had been whispering and rustling about agreed that it was a good idea to listen as well. A lump was already forming in Rakka's throat before she left the room, and it was nearly choking her by the time she got to Snape's office door.
"Professor Snape?" Rakka asked, quietly at first, then knocked firmly. "Professor Snape? It's me, Rakka. You in there?"
There was a slight shuffing on the other side of the door, and a rather disheveled looking Snape answered the door.
"Bloody hell, girl, do you know what time it is?" he asked, pushing his mussed up hair out of his face.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Professor Snape," Rakka apologized quickly. "But we had a litttle problem. One of our girls, Sienna Haridon, you might know her."
"She was the one who had that bad burn accident last year, right?" Snape rubbed the sleep from one eye, then the other, and blinked hard.
"Yeah. The one who didn't even scream when half the skin on her arm was nearly burned off. Something's wrong with her. She was screaming, sobbing, convuslions.. an unnaturally high fever. I had to throw a blanket over Tomas' arms so he could carry her to the infirmary. They should be there by now, and I think Madam Pomfrey is going to want to see you, and me as well, no doubt."
"Bloody hell," Snape murmured again, grabbing his robe and pulling it over himself, closing it tightly in the front to cover the fact that his shirt was unbuttoned, before rushing down the hallway, Rakka beside him, toward the infirmary.
