Pressuring, this is… Chapter 14 here! "Zelosus" is Latin, I think, for "jealousy…"
Title: The Future is Waiting
Chapter 14: Zelosus
Balls at Bridgework allowed the students to dress up in formal Muggle attire. Almost all the boys wore tuxedos and the color variation in the crowd rested among the girls who were wearing long gowns of every color possible. Harry saw one wearing a hot pink dress, decorated with flowers and all. But the cases of rather nasty dresses were occasional, and Harry was pleased to see that Iris Lair had had the sense not to wear anything that attracted too much attention, as he was so sure Lair was the type of person who would want to draw attention to herself and Harry.
Apparently, the news of Rose going with Malfoy to the Ball reached Lair's ears rather fast, so that she waited for Harry to descend to the common room.
"Ready, Harry?" said Lair in a wide smile that showed her even white teeth. They looked like snow against her blood red lips. She was wearing a purple dress that fell down to above her knees.
"Er, yeah… I guess so," replied Harry in a slightly worried tone. Lair entwined one arm into his and steered him out of the common room, heading towards the dining hall.
His anger had passed, but Harry was not sure whether he felt okay again. He had hoped that the kiss would make it clear to Rose what he had been fuming about, but he was not sure whether Rose got the idea, for Eugene arrived even before he had the chance to explain.
"Harry Potter and Iris Lair?"
"I was so sure he'd go with Ashworth!"
"He asked Lair instead of Ashworth?"
People around them hissed as they passed. Lair just kept on beaming at everybody. He did not know whether Lair was just pretending to be nice, or she wasn't hearing them at all.
Lair had steered Harry right in front of one of the circular tables. Only three other people were sitting around it.
"Hello, I'm Alyssa Wu," said the first girl. She had long brown curly hair, and wore a simple pink dress. She reached out her hand and Harry shook it.
"Harry Potter," he muttered.
"Ah, yes… The Gryffindor Seeker… You do remember me? Alex Yu?" said the boy next to Alyssa. Harry remembered him. He was the speaker of the Quidditch talk that happened just that morning.
"Yeah, I remember you," said Harry, shaking hands with Alex Yu.
"Raven Annette Lyndon," said the last girl in a bored voice. She was wearing black.
"Rave, she's my date," said Lair beside Harry. At this, Raven shook Harry's hand rather reluctantly. "Rave… She's just always like that, Harry. But she doesn't - not like you – "
"Who said so?" said Raven.
"Shut up," said Lair jokingly. "Harry, Rave's my best friend. We've been friends since four."
Harry was starting to wonder when the Ball would end. More and more people joined them in their table, but Harry did not need to introduce himself anymore. The people knew him better than he knew himself.
"Harry Potter? Yes, I heard you do your bit in the Triwizard Tournament last year," said a bossy looking boy.
"Mmm, yes… I know you. A year of persecution from the media wasn't it? With all that stuff about You-Know-Who?" said a Rita Skeeter lookalike.
Harry looked around. He spotted Ron and Hermione with Seamus, Dean, Parvati and Lavender in one of the tables. Hermione looked pretty in her beige gown, and Ron looked strangely dazed. He was gazing at Hermione, who was talking to Lavender and Parvati. Seamus and Dean were sniggering silently at Ron.
Several tables down, Harry saw a group of Slytherins that included Malfoy. Beside him (Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt) was Rose, who had her hair down, reminding Harry painfully of Claire once more, wearing a dress that looked oddly familiar. The dress, which fell to the floor, was a sleeveless long gown of red satin under black laces. Harry could not remember where he had seen the dress before.
She was talking rather dispiritedly to Malfoy (Harry felt a pang of guilt), who was beaming at her. To Malfoy's right was Pansy Parkinson, who looked irritated and kept scowling in Hermione's direction. When her neck got tired of looking that way, she would scowl at Rose instead.
Music played. People got up and decided to dance to it.
"Do you want to dance, Harry?" asked Lair at once.
"Er, can we just – wait a moment? Can we dance later?" said Harry distractedly. Rose and Malfoy had just got up to dance.
"Is it Ashworth?" said Lair. Harry turned to look at her. "It's okay. You owe me a dance, okay? Later."
Rose and Malfoy waded their way across the dance floor. As he watched, Harry could not help but regret that he let Rose go with Malfoy. He could have been the one who was now dancing with her. His eyes followed them as they turned. The music played a piano piece.
'Cause I have learned that love is beyond what human can imagine More it clears, the more I gotta let you goThat's why I don't understand
Just why I'm feeling so bad now
When I know it was my idea
I could've just denied the truth and lied
But why am I the only one standing
Stranded on the same ground
"Harry? Can we dance now?" said Lair suddenly.
"What? Oh – yeah… Let's go," Harry got up. He and Lair glided along the floor too. Rose was now dancing with Ron. Harry watched in the corner of his eyes.
"How was Lair, Harry?" said Hermione. She, Harry, and Ron were making their way back to the sixth years' dormitory, walking down one of the corridors.
"What d'you mean?"
"Er, was she okay?" said Ron.
"Hey! Wait!" said Malfoy, catching up with them.
"What're you doing here now?" said Ron, as though disgusted.
"What?" said Malfoy.
"How did you manage to get rid of Crabbe and Goyle now?" said Hermione.
"Oh the usual stuff," said Malfoy airily. Harry looked the other way. He did not want to talk to Malfoy, he would just have to stand Malfoy's anger. "What's your problem now, Potter?"
"I don't have a problem…" muttered Harry.
"Oh yeah… You don't… I have a problem with you," said Malfoy.
"If you came here just to – " Harry's words were cut short. They heard a loud shriek from the girls' bathroom down the hallway. There were no people in the corridor except for them, so they hurried into the bathroom.
"Rose!" Hermione exclaimed. It was indeed Rose. Her back was against the wall and she was choking for air. In front of her, clutching her throat was –
"Oy, Lair! What're you doing?" said Ron, he and Malfoy hurrying forward. They pulled Lair back away from Rose. Rose had fainted. Hermione was heaving her on her lap. Harry rushed to her side to help.
"Is she okay?" said Harry.
"Yes… She was just – she just lost consciousness…" said Hermione, breathless. "Why did she – " she started. She glared at Lair, who was held back by Ron and Malfoy. She was smiling madly, looking at Rose's lifeless form.
"Iris, what is the meaning of this!" yelled Malfoy. He helped Ron pin her to the floor. Lair gave a deranged laugh.
"Don't you know!" Harry yelled across to Malfoy. "She hates Rose!"
"Yes, I know she hates Rose! But she doesn't hate her enough to kill her, Potter!" Malfoy said in a strangled yell.
"I'd better get someone," said Hermione. She gave Harry Rose and got up. "Keep her still, Harry," she said to Harry. "And don't let that – that monster move until I come back with a teacher," she shot a furious glance at Lair, who sneered back at her.
Harry looked at Rose. Great red scratches were on her neck. And her wrists were red too. Harry also noticed tears still wet on her cheeks.
"Malfoy, when did you last see Rose before you caught up with us?"
"Just right before. She said she had something to do… Wait, Iris talked to her at the Ball, didn't you see?"
"No… I didn't…"
Five minutes or so had passed when Hermione arrived, accompanied by Professor Yamamoto, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Professor McGonagall.
"Goodness! What happened here!" exclaimed McGonagall. Yamamoto bent over Rose.
"Minerva, I think we need to bring her to the clinic immediately," she said quietly.
Professor Yamamoto rushed down the hallway to the school clinic carrying Rose, Harry, Hermione, and Malfoy hurtling along her side. Ron accompanied McGonagall in taking Lair to Professor Eugene.
"How long ahs she been this way?" Yamamoto asked breathlessly.
"About five – or ten minutes – Professor," said Hermione to her right.
"Five to ten minutes! How did it take so long!" said Yamamoto.
"Will she be okay?" asked Harry apprehensively.
"We are not sure of that," replied Yamamoto.
"What!" said Malfoy. "She's in no serious danger, is she?" Malfoy voiced out what Harry was dreading.
"I'm afraid she is," said Yamamoto quietly. "A curse like this…" she said, shaking her head.
"Is – is there a possibility that – that she'll – " Hermione stuttered, her eyes going red.
"I do not wish so… But she might end up – like that…"
Let's talk this overIt's not like we're dead
Was it something I did?
Was it something you said?
Don't leave me hanging in a city so dead
Held up so high on such a breakable thread
An hour passed… Two hours… Still, Yamamoto had not come out from the inside of the clinic. Harry had started pacing the short corridor. Hermione was sitting in one of the chairs. Malfoy stood in a dark corner, head bowed. Three hours… Four and a half… Harry checked his watch. It was already three thirty. It must be nearly dawn… At last, at long last, Miss Jessely, the Bridgework nurse, emerged. She looked excessively tired, but she was wearing a smile that could have meant only one thing.
"She's okay…" she said. She stood back to let Harry, Hermione, and Malfoy enter. Inside was a room similar to the Hospital Wing back at Hogwarts. On one of the beds lay Rose, asleep but Harry thought she looked a lot better. She was safe.
'What – " Harry started. But Yamamoto, who was sitting on a chair placed beside Rose's bed, cut him.
"She was attacked by the Curse of Zelosus…"
"What's that?" said Harry and Malfoy together.
"The curse of jealousy…" said Hermione.
"What does it do?" Harry turned to her.
"A person overcome by grave jealousy involuntarily initiates the curse… Once it activates, the person tends to lose control… He can be capable of any crime… He can – kill…" said Hermione.
"But will she be okay now?" said Malfoy to Yamamoto.
"She will be fine… But she will need time to rest.
The next day, Miss Jessely told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Rose had awoken and that no lasting damage has been done to her. She made it clear, however, that she would not release Rose until she was satisfied that Rose was back in perfect condition.
"Honestly, she sounds like Madam Pomfrey," said Ron after their visit. "I wonder if they're related."