Anything that's not blatant is
a riddle
Please read and review if you can!
Author's penname: Elixa Amethyst
Voices of the Past Part II
Written March 2002 onwards, pre Order of the Phoenix.
All characters and things you recognise, are © JKRowling, no infringement
intended.
All references to
"mediwizard" mean healer.
Read Part I at ?storyid1672635
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Chapter Twenty
Sinister Susan?
For how long we danced I have no idea, as my mind just concentrated on my feet. Slowly they began to make decisions for themselves and I found myself looking up into Severus's eyes. If he wasn't my uncle I could see myself falling in love with him. It was a very alarming thought. I put my head forwards and it met his chest. Severus let go of my hand and put both arms around me. We stood in silence just thinking, and then he moved away. There were too many confused thoughts in my head, and I caught his hand with mine. I felt him touch the ring Malfoy had put on my finger and he held the hand up, eyeing it suspiciously.
"It's a Christmas present, it's not anything more than that." I said. Severus looked at me, straight in my eyes with his black ones.
"You know my opinion of him with you, so it doesn't need repeated." He said, dropping my hand and sitting down again. I walked slowly over to his chair and placed my hand on his shoulder. Severus knocked it off and I felt pained. Why did this always happen?
The spring term began and the Quidditch matches became more and more competitive. Draco had been out practising moves from the book I gave him at Christmas. Most of my time was spent in the library, studying hard. A couple of nights I'd been in there past curfew, unaware of the time. Quirrell had found me the last time. He'd settled beside me.
"It isn't good to study for long periods of time." He said. I looked up at his translucent face.
"I'm taking breaks. You were the one who said I needed to get the best grades possible."
"True, but not so much you kill yourself with the stress."
"I'm fine Professor." I said, gathering my books together and leaving the library as fast as I could. Quirrell watched me leave a worried look on his face. I knew he was partly right. I was running myself into the ground, and I'd been taking potions I'd mixed to cure the nausea. I didn't think I was sleeping either. There was no fear of sleepwalking if all I could do at night was close my eyes and wait, unable to sleep. I suspected I'd had less hours asleep than a normal night's sleep in the last 3 days nights altogether. After the fifth day with next to no sleep I was taking high doses of sleeping potion which should have knocked me out for a day at a time but was only giving me an hour of sleep. I kept going, Susan just encouraging me with her successes from her studies. Severus was most alarmed when I just disappeared from behind my cauldron during double potions. I'd collapsed on the floor, exhaustion finally winning.
"There's enough traces of sleeping solution in her blood to have kept her asleep for two weeks, but she doesn't appear to have slept at all despite taking it, as if she was immune." Madame Pomfrey was talking. I must have been taken to the hospital wing.
"I've caught her in the library late quite a few nights, she's just working constantly. I warned her." Quirrell said. "I have a strong suspicion that her friend Susan North is doing something. She's been progressing so much- it doesn't seem possible."
"Are you saying Susan is making Elixa stay up and study?" McGonagall exclaimed her tone indicating she thought Quirrell was being stupid.
"We don't know if there is a link between the two of them though. It could well be that Susan is sharing some of Elixa's powers and subsequently she's draining Elixa as Susan excels." Severus gave quite a logical answer. He seemed to believe Quirrell.
"True, but the Ministry's checked it. Susan is nothing more than a hard working, bright and talented student. She is a model student!" McGonagall was fighting Susan's corner very well, almost too well.
"Supporting a Slytherin Minerva?" Quirrell said. I imagined McGonagall stared at him with one of her stern looks.
"I am supporting an innocent party. If you ask me Elixa has probably been up studying and she's the one who we heard in the library the other night, bringing this incident upon herself."
"We are aware she sleepwalks occasionally Minerva." Severus answered. "I believe Elixa is awake now." He said. I opened my eyes and the hospital wing slowly came into focus. I could see the Professors standing at the foot of my bed looking at me. I looked from one end of the line to the other, anticipating a lecture.
A couple of days with dreamless sleep potion and peace and I was back on my feet. I was being watched closely by all the staff when it came to working out of lessons. They were giving me strict time limits on my work, and accepting work that I had spent the given time limit on and not finished. It wasn't too bad to start off with but soon I got quite bored with it and bent the time allowance rules. At least I seemed to be sleeping.
But I wasn't out of danger…yet…
