The holidays were finally drawing to a close. After days of spending days
perusing the library at her own will, Viviel was becoming lonesome spending
all of break on her own. Granted, she visited Madam Pomfrey from time to
time, but the kindly witch was only pleasant company for an hour or so. The
Slytherin common room had also grown bleak and dark, and she dreaded the
time she spent secluded there. She was surprised to find how she missed the
company of others, something that had never bother her before; she supposed
that spending time with Draco had opened her eyes to the pleasures of conversation.
But pleasures like that will surely get in the way of my studying when everyone comes back to school, Viviel thought to herself angrily when she realized this. I'll just have to tell Draco we can't continue on with our agreement. I'm doing better in Potions now. I'll just follow the study pattern we were doing together.
She shoved her cold hands into the pockets of her robes. The winter drafts seeped through the corridors, and Viviel considered stopping at the library for some more studying by Madam Pince's fire. A couple of paces before she reached the double doors of the library, she heard a faint sound, like a weeping child.
"What on earth..." she whispered, tracking out the sound and ripping back a tapestry. She stood stock-still, wide eyed at the sight infront of her.
A small girl, first year by the look of her and a Hufflepuff by her badge, was sobbing into the sleeves of her robes. Her strawberry blond hair was pulled back in twin pig tails and her heart shaped faced was flushed pink with her crying. She gasped and tried to stifle her tears when she looked up at Viviel, shrinking back against the wall.
"Why are you crying?" Viviel asked, perhaps a bit more sharper than she meant to. Wincing as she saw more tears well up in the girl's eyes, she took out her handkerchief and gave it to the girl. "Here. It's better than your sleeve."
"Th-thanks." the girl said, sniffing before burying her face in the green cloth.
She tried to look a bit more kindly as she said, "Are you alright? Are you sick or something?"
"My- My stomach hurts."
"Did you eat lunch?" Viviel asked, hands on her hips, a pose Madam Pomfrey always used when interrogating her patients.
"Yeah. Well, I tried, b-but I wasn't hungry." said the Hufflepuff, sniffling again.
"And why weren't you hungry?" she asked again, praising herself for her undying patience with others.
Viviel was again dumbfounded as the girl began to cry again, this time harder, and completely forgot about the handkerchief in her hand.
"Now, crying isn't good on an empty stomach!" she said, pulling the girl somewhat roughly to her feet. "And I gave you the handkerchief to dry your tears, not to wet it."
"Sorry-"
"Come on, I'll take you to hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey has a cure for upset stomachs. She probably has some food for you to nibble on to, while you wait to get over your stomach." Viviel said, pulling her newfound patient towards the infirmary.
The girl willingly allowed herself to be pulled along, her cheeks damp with tears. "I thought Slytherins were supposed to be mean."
"And where did you hear that, may I ask?" she exclaimed.
"Anthony."
Viviel turned her blue eyes on the girl as they climbed a flight of stairs. "Anthony who?"
"Goldstien. He's my cousin, on his mom's side." the girl said.
"Isn't his mom a muggle?" Then as the realization hit her, Viviel almost let the Hufflepuff go. "You're a Mu- Muggle born."
The girl hung her head miserably. "Yeah. He had to go home, but dad said I should stay here over Christmas."
"Oh." So it was really homesickness that was ailing this girl, not a cold or influenza. The seventh year girl shifted a bit uncomfortably, not use to interacting too much with someone who wasn't a pure blood. What would one of her classmates say if they saw her?
Wait, she thought, none of them are here. And it's not like I'm ever going to see this girl again when the semester begins. A true Healer wouldn't turn down a patient because of their bloodline.
"Well, come on. Madam Pomfrey has a cure for homesickness, too."
"Does it taste good? Anthony made me drink one of her Pepperup Potions, and I nearly threw it back up on her white sheets." the girl confessed.
Smiling to herself, Viviel said, "Not this one. And you'll be all set to sleep in your own bed come cerfew."
"Who are you?" asked the girl curiously. "Anthony never mentioned a nice Slytherin."
She refers to Goldstien quite a bit, thought Viviel. "I'm Viviel Dorgen. And you are?"
"My names Larissa. Larissa Krumbly." she said shyly, "I've heard of you. Anthony says you're the new girl that Draco Malfoy's after."
Her cheeks nearly turned the same pink as Larissa's. "Do you believe everything your cousin tells you?"
"Well, he is one of the top wizards in seventh year." said Larissa, suddenly unconcerned of Viviel's warning tone, almost as though they were friends.
"So am I." said Viviel, somewhat huffily. She supposed no one really cared if a Slytherin was intelligent, because it was outwayed by their horrible mannerisms.
"He said that, too. Anthony said he was surprised that a Slytherin cared more about her grades than her heritage."
"Isn't that nice of him?" she muttered scathingly.
They arrived at the doors of the hospital wing and Viviel pushed her patient through the doors. Sunlight poured over the white beds that lined the infirmary walls. Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office.
"What is this, Viviel? Larissa, it is?" asked the witch, quickly taking the first year girl by the wrist and leading her over to a bed where she pushed her down into a sitting position. "Another cold?"
"Homesick, Madam Pomfrey." said Viviel with an encouraging smile to Larissa, who was suddenly looking pale.
Madam Pomfrey stuck her hands on her hips. "Haven't been eating, have you?"
"No, ma'am."
"Cried yourself dry?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Hmm... Well, I have just the thing." She hurried away to her medicine cabinet and brought back something in a silver wrapping paper, breaking off a piece of what was inside and handing it to Larissa. "Eat this. I garuntee you'll have your appetite back by dinner."
Larissa looked at the candy in her hand. "Chocolate?"
Viviel knew it was a special chocolate that Madam Pomfrey made, melted chunks of Honeydukes finest milk chocolate mixed with a potion that cured appetites and lured the eater to bed at a proper time to ensure a full night's rest. It tasted just like chocolate, so no student would suspect anything unusual; Madam Pomfrey had confided that students were more willing to take candy than potions.
"Chocolate helps stimulate the endorphines in your system. You'll be perky in no time." she said with a smile.
"En... endorwhat?" said Larissa around a mouth full of chocolate.
"Nevermind. Come on, I'll take you back to the Great Hall."
Viviel saw her back to the dinner hall, and seeing the girl was still a bit inclined to be miserable, invited her to join her at the Slytherin table. She found herself victim to some appraising looks from professors and a couple of students from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw who had also stayed over break. Viviel endured the stares and tried to ignore the pangs of guilt coursing through her stomach, trying to convince herself it was that she was helped a Mudblood and not that she'd be leaving the girl to her own devices when term started.
But pleasures like that will surely get in the way of my studying when everyone comes back to school, Viviel thought to herself angrily when she realized this. I'll just have to tell Draco we can't continue on with our agreement. I'm doing better in Potions now. I'll just follow the study pattern we were doing together.
She shoved her cold hands into the pockets of her robes. The winter drafts seeped through the corridors, and Viviel considered stopping at the library for some more studying by Madam Pince's fire. A couple of paces before she reached the double doors of the library, she heard a faint sound, like a weeping child.
"What on earth..." she whispered, tracking out the sound and ripping back a tapestry. She stood stock-still, wide eyed at the sight infront of her.
A small girl, first year by the look of her and a Hufflepuff by her badge, was sobbing into the sleeves of her robes. Her strawberry blond hair was pulled back in twin pig tails and her heart shaped faced was flushed pink with her crying. She gasped and tried to stifle her tears when she looked up at Viviel, shrinking back against the wall.
"Why are you crying?" Viviel asked, perhaps a bit more sharper than she meant to. Wincing as she saw more tears well up in the girl's eyes, she took out her handkerchief and gave it to the girl. "Here. It's better than your sleeve."
"Th-thanks." the girl said, sniffing before burying her face in the green cloth.
She tried to look a bit more kindly as she said, "Are you alright? Are you sick or something?"
"My- My stomach hurts."
"Did you eat lunch?" Viviel asked, hands on her hips, a pose Madam Pomfrey always used when interrogating her patients.
"Yeah. Well, I tried, b-but I wasn't hungry." said the Hufflepuff, sniffling again.
"And why weren't you hungry?" she asked again, praising herself for her undying patience with others.
Viviel was again dumbfounded as the girl began to cry again, this time harder, and completely forgot about the handkerchief in her hand.
"Now, crying isn't good on an empty stomach!" she said, pulling the girl somewhat roughly to her feet. "And I gave you the handkerchief to dry your tears, not to wet it."
"Sorry-"
"Come on, I'll take you to hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey has a cure for upset stomachs. She probably has some food for you to nibble on to, while you wait to get over your stomach." Viviel said, pulling her newfound patient towards the infirmary.
The girl willingly allowed herself to be pulled along, her cheeks damp with tears. "I thought Slytherins were supposed to be mean."
"And where did you hear that, may I ask?" she exclaimed.
"Anthony."
Viviel turned her blue eyes on the girl as they climbed a flight of stairs. "Anthony who?"
"Goldstien. He's my cousin, on his mom's side." the girl said.
"Isn't his mom a muggle?" Then as the realization hit her, Viviel almost let the Hufflepuff go. "You're a Mu- Muggle born."
The girl hung her head miserably. "Yeah. He had to go home, but dad said I should stay here over Christmas."
"Oh." So it was really homesickness that was ailing this girl, not a cold or influenza. The seventh year girl shifted a bit uncomfortably, not use to interacting too much with someone who wasn't a pure blood. What would one of her classmates say if they saw her?
Wait, she thought, none of them are here. And it's not like I'm ever going to see this girl again when the semester begins. A true Healer wouldn't turn down a patient because of their bloodline.
"Well, come on. Madam Pomfrey has a cure for homesickness, too."
"Does it taste good? Anthony made me drink one of her Pepperup Potions, and I nearly threw it back up on her white sheets." the girl confessed.
Smiling to herself, Viviel said, "Not this one. And you'll be all set to sleep in your own bed come cerfew."
"Who are you?" asked the girl curiously. "Anthony never mentioned a nice Slytherin."
She refers to Goldstien quite a bit, thought Viviel. "I'm Viviel Dorgen. And you are?"
"My names Larissa. Larissa Krumbly." she said shyly, "I've heard of you. Anthony says you're the new girl that Draco Malfoy's after."
Her cheeks nearly turned the same pink as Larissa's. "Do you believe everything your cousin tells you?"
"Well, he is one of the top wizards in seventh year." said Larissa, suddenly unconcerned of Viviel's warning tone, almost as though they were friends.
"So am I." said Viviel, somewhat huffily. She supposed no one really cared if a Slytherin was intelligent, because it was outwayed by their horrible mannerisms.
"He said that, too. Anthony said he was surprised that a Slytherin cared more about her grades than her heritage."
"Isn't that nice of him?" she muttered scathingly.
They arrived at the doors of the hospital wing and Viviel pushed her patient through the doors. Sunlight poured over the white beds that lined the infirmary walls. Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office.
"What is this, Viviel? Larissa, it is?" asked the witch, quickly taking the first year girl by the wrist and leading her over to a bed where she pushed her down into a sitting position. "Another cold?"
"Homesick, Madam Pomfrey." said Viviel with an encouraging smile to Larissa, who was suddenly looking pale.
Madam Pomfrey stuck her hands on her hips. "Haven't been eating, have you?"
"No, ma'am."
"Cried yourself dry?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Hmm... Well, I have just the thing." She hurried away to her medicine cabinet and brought back something in a silver wrapping paper, breaking off a piece of what was inside and handing it to Larissa. "Eat this. I garuntee you'll have your appetite back by dinner."
Larissa looked at the candy in her hand. "Chocolate?"
Viviel knew it was a special chocolate that Madam Pomfrey made, melted chunks of Honeydukes finest milk chocolate mixed with a potion that cured appetites and lured the eater to bed at a proper time to ensure a full night's rest. It tasted just like chocolate, so no student would suspect anything unusual; Madam Pomfrey had confided that students were more willing to take candy than potions.
"Chocolate helps stimulate the endorphines in your system. You'll be perky in no time." she said with a smile.
"En... endorwhat?" said Larissa around a mouth full of chocolate.
"Nevermind. Come on, I'll take you back to the Great Hall."
Viviel saw her back to the dinner hall, and seeing the girl was still a bit inclined to be miserable, invited her to join her at the Slytherin table. She found herself victim to some appraising looks from professors and a couple of students from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw who had also stayed over break. Viviel endured the stares and tried to ignore the pangs of guilt coursing through her stomach, trying to convince herself it was that she was helped a Mudblood and not that she'd be leaving the girl to her own devices when term started.