Disclaimer: I don't own it. Never, ever.
A/N: I found this and thought that I may as well post it. It hasn't been spellchecked and really, doesn't have much in it at all. I suppose I might decide to write another chapter... if I get any reviews with some suggestions, but for the moment; my moralefor writting is definitly nothigh. Please enjoy and review! Reviewers make me smile :)
Chapter Seven - Sleep All Night, Baby, Like a Good Lost Soul
Cody sat in the Gryffindor common room reading quietly. Opposite him, his sister was also sitting down in the comfortable chairs with a thick book in front of her, flipping the pages every so often.
It was almost eleven thirty, and only a few of the older students were left in the common room – most having the sense to head off to bed early, in preparation for the first day of classes. Which left the Potter twins sitting opposite each other, both apparently deeply emerged in their separate books.
Gypsy's fingers tapped the side of the chair irritably and with a steadily annoying beat, as she turned the page less and less, staring at Cody. Cody studiously ignored her.
Five more minutes passed in total silence, apart from the incessant click, click, click of Gypsy's finger-nails as the connected solidly with the wooden arm-rests.
Finally, Cody slapped down the dog-eared paperback he was reading and looked up at Gypsy angrily, eyes narrowed in annoyance as she instantly stopped tapping her fingers, looking slightly guilty.
"What is it, Gypsy?" he asked angrily, running a hand through his slightly messy hair in an agitated gesture - which was in total contrast to the cool look he had been wearing ever since they had both arrived at the common room.
Gypsy shrugged and looked towards the fire, saying nothing, her fingers stilled.
By now they were the only two left in the common room; even the seventh years had all headed off to bed. After a minute more of silence Gypsy sighed loudly and crawled across to where her brother was looking at her impatiently.
With an equally regretful sigh Cody relaxed and gave his twin sister a tight hug before letting her curl up at his side.
"Hey, its okay, you know?" he whispered into his sister's hair as she clung to his middle.
Gypsy snuffled at him, desperately trying to wipe her eyes before her brother noticed her tears. Unfortunately, it was already too late, and Cody gave her another half hug.
"I guess you just have to look at it objectively, yeah?"
"Objective? What objective?" Gypsy sniffed questioningly.
"Yeah – think about it. From Sebastian's perspective. Suddenly he's found himself in this strange world. He's ripped out of his home and away from his family, or what's left of us anyway, friends and basically the whole world he's ever known" Cody started off softly, but quickly warmed to his theme. Gypsy interrupted him –
"When you said objective, you said it like there was something positive about it all. That sentence didn't really run with the whole 'positive' theme, you know?"
"Well, I guess the positive bit is that, it's happened to him, not us" Cody said with a slight shrug.
"I mean – we could have been the ones slung into some strange reality, where nobody even knew we ever existed! Imagine us in his world! At least here they knew he existed once, but there we never got the chance to exist!"
Gypsy rolled onto her back, resting her head in Cody's lap
"How sad for our other-selves" she said with a slight smile as she stared at the ceiling.
"Feeling sorry for yourself, are you? Going to start taking anti-depression potions next, are you?" Cody said, poking her in the stomach as if the teasing proved his point.
Gypsy shrugged, and smiled quietly, but the humour that had inflected her tone a few seconds ago was gone. She looked sad again, like there was something she'd lost, even though she never knew she'd had it.
"It's weird, you know? Sebastian being here… it makes me feel like someone I know has died, or something, even though he's actually here"
"Well, him being here is just a reminder that he has to leave again, when Dumbledore finds out how to work the potion. It's like; we're being reminded of what we've lost" Cody's voice broke slightly at the end of his sentence and Gypsy sat up quickly, blinking her eyes to avoid them tearing up.
She clambered off the sofa and retrieved the book she had been using before.
"I think I'm off to bed – all this depressing crap is twisting my brain. I just feel so sorry for him… you know? Yeah. Whatever. G'night Codestar!" she gave him a quick hug and headed towards the girls staircase.
Cody sighed to the empty common room and rubbed his eyes sleepily, wondering what his brother would be doing right now.
What a strange thought, he contemplated as he made his own way upstairs and started to get into bed; brother.
At that very moment Harry was passed out in the girl's bathrooms, his head propped up against one of the unused porcelain sinks. His hand was covered in cuts and would-be bruises, and smudges of the red were on his cheeks and around his eyes. Dirty tear streaks made his face even bleaker, as pale track marks proved that anguish simply was not a strong enough word.
Sitting on the sink next to him, and watching him, was Moaning Myrtle.
Harry slept all night and when he woke up the next morning he couldn't remember dreaming.
"Miss Zambini! A word, if you please?" Minerva McGonagall's voice cut through the tumble of students as they all rushed into the hall to eat quickly and speed off to their lessons on time. Blaise had already been sitting at the Ravenclaw table for some time, and rose quietly to follow the professor out into the entrance hall.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you Blaise, but I waited for as long as I could to see if any of Sebastian's dorm mates would come down before class started" she paused and tutted to herself "but they have not appeared and I am very busy, so I am afraid that I must ask you a favour"
Blaise simply nodded.
"Mister Jamison was supposed to report to me this morning for his schedule and a chat about his navigation of Hogwarts. However he did not appear, and unfortunatly I do not have the time to go chasing after errant students! So I would be eternally greatful if you might find him and deliver this to him" she handed over a white envelope which Blaise took with a silent nod.
"Thankyou Blaise, I know I can count on you" the Professor said with a tight smile. She gathered herself to go before pausing to look at Blaise speculativly.
"And if you don't mind me asking - how are you coping with Ms Granger's absence? You do know that if there is ever anything that you wish to talk about, my door is always open to you, don't you, Blaise?" Minerva asked softly, the sharp lines on her face softening enough to show Blaise that the offer was sincere.
Blaise nodded once more, but still said nothing.
"Right, very well then, I'll leave this to you. I hope you can find him before his first class of the day, but it not you are excused. I believe you both have Advanced Healing. But please, do try to be on time!" and without waiting for the answer Blaise was not going to give, she walked off towards the Transfiguration Corridor, her robes billowing in a similar fashion to professor Snape's.
Leaving, Blaise wondered why Minerva McGonagall had been the one to take a personal interest in Sebastian Jamison, and not his head of house; Professor Flitwick.
"Have any of you seen the new kid; Sebastian?" Blaise asked Terry Boot and the gang of sixth year students she bumped into them on her way to the Ravenclaw dorms. They all stopped and shook their heads, with vague murmers to the negative before continuing on their way to breakfast. Terry was the only one to stay behind.
"I didn't think he'd moved into Hogwarts yet, he didn't come back to the dorm last night and it didn't look like his bed was slept in this morning, although that might have been the house elves. Are you sure he didn't just get to spend a last night with his folks?" he asked, obvious concern on his face. Blaise sighed and looked down at the envelope in her hand, an odd feeling in her stomach bringing a sting of forebodance.
Terry touched her arm lightly, and she looked up slowly, awoken from her thoughts.
"Well I have to find him before I get to class. Thanks for the help, Terry" Blaise nodded to him and started to walk away, mentally going over where and why Sebastian was wherever he was, but she was forced to stop and turn back around as Terry called her name. She cocked her head to the side and waited for him to speak.
"Listen, do you need any help? I can try to find him with you, if you want?" he asked slightly shyly, causing Blaise to close her eyes breifly, embarassed. But she shook her head at his offer and showed him the pass McGonagall had written for her.
"I'm good. I've got special persmission from Professor McGonagall, so don't worry about it, Terry" she smiled at him, and he smiled in return, although slightly wistfully.
"Alright then, well have fun finding the new kid!" Terry said with a laugh, rose a hand in farewell and set off towards the Great Hall to catch up with his friends. Blaise watched him go sadly, wondering if things might have been different between then if Hermione hadn't...
So where would a 'new kid' who's never been to Hogwarts before, ever,go to sleep for the whole, entire, night?
Why wouldn't he return to the dormitary? Unless he was lost.
He must get lost, very, very easily.
A/N: Wow and Golly. It's been a very long time since I thought of fanfiction! But I'm back, for a while at least, although I'm going to need some encouragment before I start writting this old thing again! (hehe) I hope everyone had a great Christmas break, I know I melted in the heat several times! (Hooray with Candy Cane's for Australian Summers! Hoorah!) Advice on this fic would be nice, and please, do point out any plot holes, as I can barely remember the plot as it is! ;D
But please: do REVIEW!o.x
Enjoy the new year, dearlings:D