HAPPY HOLIDAYS - Red Snowsled
Just a few notes before I take my annual sojourn tomorrow to the palace of the Crossword Queen:
Thanks to all you reviewers! A review is the best thing you can get for Christmas. It seems like everyone is against cliffhangers, so here you go. I love you all so Bleeping much (heehee). Very Merry Christmas and I hope you get everything on your list.
*
Chapter 15
"What are you doing here?" asked James with a sneer.
"I saw you on your broom heading toward, of all places, the Herbology Greenhouses," Lucius said nastily. The light from behind him illuminated his silver-blond hair and crept into the crevices of his face, making him look frightening. "Of course, I can't let you get away with it."
"With what?" asked Lily innocently.
"Oh, Miss Evans, this may all very well be your fault," said the Slytherin with a grin.
"My fault?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"Yes, your fault. You are carrying it, the disease," he said. "Dragon Pox."
"You're stupid. I haven't got scales. I'm not in the hospital wing."
"The disease won't take effect until certain conditions are met," he said. His eyes traveled to James. He had his jaw set defiantly. "But that doesn't mean you aren't carrying it, and infecting all of the people you know. Of course you are acquainted with my esteemed companion, Severus Snape. He is carrying it as well and I had to inoculate all of Slytherin with the Amorbane Wine he made himself. He is a fool but an excellent asset."
"How did you know we were after dead lovage?" she asked.
"We're Slytherins, not idiots. Snape's books, stolen. Alice blood-traitor Longbottom just happens to be in our room that day. I don't know how you got in, but you didn't get away as clean as you hoped. I began tailing Longbottom to see what she was up to. She suspected Dollops, the old fart. He's worse than Dumbledore and has boldness to shame Slytherin with his mollycoddling of the ones rightfully rejected. Ones like you, Evans."
"Dollops never mollycoddled Muggle-borns," said Lily indignantly, but Lucius didn't hear her.
"But Dollops' idiocy isn't important anymore. Once summer approaches, all students will go home, but the undesirables will not come back, dead or too ill to carry on. Hogwarts will be much cleaner, don't you think, without all that foul blood?"
"You're evil, Malfoy," snarled James. "Your blood is the foul blood, tainted for centuries by darkness."
"This coming from blood-traitor Potter, centuries of worthless Hufflepuff idiots."
"You mean this whole thing is just to get Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?" asked Lily.
"And blood-traitors. We're calling it the Catharsis, and it'll known in history books as such. I bid thee good life, because it will be greatly shortened."
And with that he shut the trap door and locked it firmly.
**
Sirius Black crawled and ducked crawled between the rows of cots. From a pile, he grabbed a nurse's garb and threw it over himself. He strapped on a breathing mask so that no one would see his scaled face. He covered his red hands with surgical gloves. He needed to go outside for fresh air. The hospital floor wasn't vented well, so he breathed the same sick air as everyone else, and it smelled, too. Some were weak and couldn't walk. Sirius stumbled a bit but generally had control over his muscles.
He went into the library to look for something to read. He was bored to tears sitting in his cot all day.
"Are you sure it's safe to talk in here?" asked a whispered female voice somewhere ten meters from where he was standing. Immediately interested, Sirius hid behind the end of the bookcase and listened.
"Of course it's safe," said another voice that didn't bother whispering. It drawled, and Sirius knew it was Lucius Malfoy. "The old bat can't see us from here. Everyone else is at lunch."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"Darling, there's a bit of a problem."
"A problem? With the Catharsis?"
"Yes. Two Gryffindors, Potter and Evans. Know them?"
"They're in our Potions, I think. They are my cousin's playmates."
"Correct. They've found out about the Catharsis."
"Gryffindors! They could destroy everything, what are we going to do?"
"What you're going to do, Narcissa, is go to Sprout's shed. Inside you'll find a trap door. I'm sure there'll be no problem. Just guard it and make sure they don't get out. If you can, move something heavy over the door."
"You've trapped them down there?"
"What have I been talking to you about? Of course I have. You're too slow for your own good, Narcissa. Get on now, before lunch is over and you're spotted."
Sirius couldn't believe his ears. His cousin was trapping his best friend under a trap door. What was going on? What was Catharsis? He had so many questions.
He followed Narcissa out of the library, staying at a safe distance. She was pretty (he thought this from an unattracted family member's observation), with floaty blond-silver hair waving down her back. She would probably marry Lucius someday, and he thought of all the little blond children they'd have. The worst part was Sirius would be related to them.
She was nervous, there was no doubt. And because she was nervous it made Sirius nervous. It wasn't easy to tail her because she was constantly looking for police that might catch her or eavesdroppers that might have been listening to her conversation. Her pace was fast.
"Sirius!" she shrieked. Oops. He had been caught. It wasn't the first time. "What are you doing?"
"Going to lunch," he said innocently. She glared at him. "What are you doing?"
"Tend to your own," she spat at him.
"Oh, I do, you can be sure of that," he said. "Not so much my family, but I'm very protective of my friends. Oh, and especially of my playmates."
"Of course," she said through clenched teeth. "Aren't we all? I thought you had the pox."
"Cured."
"Why are you wearing a nurse's outfit?"
"I'm helping out in the hospital wing."
"Leave me alone," she said as parting words.
Just a few notes before I take my annual sojourn tomorrow to the palace of the Crossword Queen:
Thanks to all you reviewers! A review is the best thing you can get for Christmas. It seems like everyone is against cliffhangers, so here you go. I love you all so Bleeping much (heehee). Very Merry Christmas and I hope you get everything on your list.
*
Chapter 15
"What are you doing here?" asked James with a sneer.
"I saw you on your broom heading toward, of all places, the Herbology Greenhouses," Lucius said nastily. The light from behind him illuminated his silver-blond hair and crept into the crevices of his face, making him look frightening. "Of course, I can't let you get away with it."
"With what?" asked Lily innocently.
"Oh, Miss Evans, this may all very well be your fault," said the Slytherin with a grin.
"My fault?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"Yes, your fault. You are carrying it, the disease," he said. "Dragon Pox."
"You're stupid. I haven't got scales. I'm not in the hospital wing."
"The disease won't take effect until certain conditions are met," he said. His eyes traveled to James. He had his jaw set defiantly. "But that doesn't mean you aren't carrying it, and infecting all of the people you know. Of course you are acquainted with my esteemed companion, Severus Snape. He is carrying it as well and I had to inoculate all of Slytherin with the Amorbane Wine he made himself. He is a fool but an excellent asset."
"How did you know we were after dead lovage?" she asked.
"We're Slytherins, not idiots. Snape's books, stolen. Alice blood-traitor Longbottom just happens to be in our room that day. I don't know how you got in, but you didn't get away as clean as you hoped. I began tailing Longbottom to see what she was up to. She suspected Dollops, the old fart. He's worse than Dumbledore and has boldness to shame Slytherin with his mollycoddling of the ones rightfully rejected. Ones like you, Evans."
"Dollops never mollycoddled Muggle-borns," said Lily indignantly, but Lucius didn't hear her.
"But Dollops' idiocy isn't important anymore. Once summer approaches, all students will go home, but the undesirables will not come back, dead or too ill to carry on. Hogwarts will be much cleaner, don't you think, without all that foul blood?"
"You're evil, Malfoy," snarled James. "Your blood is the foul blood, tainted for centuries by darkness."
"This coming from blood-traitor Potter, centuries of worthless Hufflepuff idiots."
"You mean this whole thing is just to get Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?" asked Lily.
"And blood-traitors. We're calling it the Catharsis, and it'll known in history books as such. I bid thee good life, because it will be greatly shortened."
And with that he shut the trap door and locked it firmly.
**
Sirius Black crawled and ducked crawled between the rows of cots. From a pile, he grabbed a nurse's garb and threw it over himself. He strapped on a breathing mask so that no one would see his scaled face. He covered his red hands with surgical gloves. He needed to go outside for fresh air. The hospital floor wasn't vented well, so he breathed the same sick air as everyone else, and it smelled, too. Some were weak and couldn't walk. Sirius stumbled a bit but generally had control over his muscles.
He went into the library to look for something to read. He was bored to tears sitting in his cot all day.
"Are you sure it's safe to talk in here?" asked a whispered female voice somewhere ten meters from where he was standing. Immediately interested, Sirius hid behind the end of the bookcase and listened.
"Of course it's safe," said another voice that didn't bother whispering. It drawled, and Sirius knew it was Lucius Malfoy. "The old bat can't see us from here. Everyone else is at lunch."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"Darling, there's a bit of a problem."
"A problem? With the Catharsis?"
"Yes. Two Gryffindors, Potter and Evans. Know them?"
"They're in our Potions, I think. They are my cousin's playmates."
"Correct. They've found out about the Catharsis."
"Gryffindors! They could destroy everything, what are we going to do?"
"What you're going to do, Narcissa, is go to Sprout's shed. Inside you'll find a trap door. I'm sure there'll be no problem. Just guard it and make sure they don't get out. If you can, move something heavy over the door."
"You've trapped them down there?"
"What have I been talking to you about? Of course I have. You're too slow for your own good, Narcissa. Get on now, before lunch is over and you're spotted."
Sirius couldn't believe his ears. His cousin was trapping his best friend under a trap door. What was going on? What was Catharsis? He had so many questions.
He followed Narcissa out of the library, staying at a safe distance. She was pretty (he thought this from an unattracted family member's observation), with floaty blond-silver hair waving down her back. She would probably marry Lucius someday, and he thought of all the little blond children they'd have. The worst part was Sirius would be related to them.
She was nervous, there was no doubt. And because she was nervous it made Sirius nervous. It wasn't easy to tail her because she was constantly looking for police that might catch her or eavesdroppers that might have been listening to her conversation. Her pace was fast.
"Sirius!" she shrieked. Oops. He had been caught. It wasn't the first time. "What are you doing?"
"Going to lunch," he said innocently. She glared at him. "What are you doing?"
"Tend to your own," she spat at him.
"Oh, I do, you can be sure of that," he said. "Not so much my family, but I'm very protective of my friends. Oh, and especially of my playmates."
"Of course," she said through clenched teeth. "Aren't we all? I thought you had the pox."
"Cured."
"Why are you wearing a nurse's outfit?"
"I'm helping out in the hospital wing."
"Leave me alone," she said as parting words.