SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT! I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL!
Chapter Two
"What did you mean by, 'Mind your enemies'?" Sirius prodded the next day in the Great Hall, lowering the book Lupin had propped up in front of him.
"Nothing that concerns you." Lupin snatched his book back, snapping it closed.
"C'mon, Remey. Would it be all that bad to tell me?" Sirius tugged the book back from him, flipping it to a random page. "What IS this stuff? 'Common signs of a werewolf are…' Why on earth are you reading this?"
"It's not for me!" Lupin snapped, snatching it back once more and shoving it into his bag. "Adrianna wanted reference material on werewolves."
"Why?" A puzzled look crossed Sirius's handsome features, earning an amused laugh from Lupin.
"Ask her yourself. She'll tell you." He coughed, pained expression crossing his face. "I have to go." Clapping Sirius's shoulder lightly, he hurried up between the tables, exiting the Great Hall.
Sirius watched as his friend's retreating back disappeared behind large oak doors before turning to Andrianna, who had just sat down to breakfast beside him. "Good morning." she gave Sirius a quick smile then reached across the table for a jug of pumpkin juice. Just as she began to pour some into her glass, Sirius cleared his throat loudly to get her attention. "Can I ask you something?"
Adrianna shrugged, sipping from the goblet. Pulling a face, she set the drink back down with a sigh. "I hate not being able to eat...yeah sure. Go ahead..." Adrianna rested her chin on her hand, head turned to face him.
A sympathetic look distorted Sirius's features as he tried to imagine what life would be like without food. Pushing aside the matter, he pressed on with what he had intended to ask. "Why, may I ask, are you so interested in werewolves?" he questioned, propping his elbow against the table as he talked.
Adrianna paled, which was quite a sight, then composed herself. "You've been talking to Lupin, haven't you?"
Sirius inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Sure, but that doesn't answer my question."
Adrianna shrugged, and then answered simply, "I have a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay due…" She muttered, averting her crimson eyes from Sirius's silver/gray ones.
Sirius heaved a great sigh of relief. "Ooh! Well- that makes sense." He paused to grab a piece of toast, then turned to her once more. "But I wonder why Lupin didn't tell me himself.." he said more to himself then to Adrianna.
Adrianna stifled a giggle. "That's because he thinks you know everything about me already." Adrianna leaned over, flicking Sirius's ear playfully.
A sportive grin crossed Sirius's features as he grabbed Adrianna's hand before it withdrew. "Well, I wish I could say I did."
Adrianna gave him a look of mock horror. "Are you insinuating something, Mr. Black?"
Sirius pretended to think a moment. "Well, that depends Miss. Le Fay. What do you believe I'm insinuating?"
Adrianna dropped her guard completely. "I think you know."
Sirius doned a puzzled look by this and asked softly "Now what do you mean by that?"
Adrianna's face took on a pale blush, and she stared down at her lap, choosing to ignore his question rather than embarrass herself by voicing her thoughts.
Sirius tilted her chin up with a finger, and looked as though he was about to say something very meaningful, when James came rushing over, unruly hair more unruly than ever. "Sirius, mate, we've got to get to Potions before old Sluggy busts a gut! C'mon!"
Sirius rolled his eyes in an annoyed kind of way, releasing Adrianna and following James out of the Great Hall. Adrianna rose and followed them, making a detour to the Hospital Wing.
Adrianna knocked softly on the door to the Hospital Wing, before entering. The nurse, Madam Pompfrey, glanced up and a smile crept across her features. "Ah, Miss Le Fay. I assume you're here for a transfer?"
Adrianna nodded, and the nurse motioned to one of the beds, then bustled out of the room. With a sigh, Adrianna flopped onto the bed, gazing at the ceiling. The door to the main room opened and closed, but she paid it no mind. Footsteps crossed the room, then stopped by her bed. She turned her head, and nearly leapt in shock at the sight of James sitting there with a grin on his face. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be late!"
"I came to see if you were alright." James replied, pouting slightly. He started as Madam Pompfrey tapped his shoulder. "Sorry, Madam Pompfrey."
"I'll need your arm, Adrianna." Adrianna held out her arm. "It'll only hurt for few moments." She turned to James. "Do you mind?"
"I'm sorry, mind what?" James asked, feigning ignorance.
"Leave, James." Adrianna said from the bed, stifling a giggle. Once James did, Pompfrey waved her wand a bit.
"Stay still, this'll only take a minute." A clear serum flowed from the tip of the wand into a hypodermic needle. This was then inserted into Adrianna's arm, who winced and reflexively tried to pull away. "Immobilus." Pompfrey muttered, pointing her wand at Adrianna's arm, which froze in place. A few moments later the nurse was done, and she waved Adrianna away as the bell rang, without performing the countercharm on her arm.
Adrianna hurried to the door, performing a counter-spell on her arm. "Mobilus." Flexing her arm, she hurried towards the dungeons, where she burst into the potions classroom, only five minutes late.
The teacher looked up. "Miss Le Fay…why are you late?"
Adrianna gave him a resolute glare. "I had business in the Hospital Wing that delayed me longer than I had anticipated. I'm sorry, Professor Slughorn. It won't happen again."
"I'm sure it won't, Miss Van Buren. Now please have a seat."
Adrianna nodded, walking over to the seat next to Sirius. Flopping down, she gazed at the setup of the room. In the front of the room, four cauldrons sat. In the first, a blue liquid bubbled, giving off a scent of mint. The second held a glutinous potion that smelled vaguely of overcooked cabbage. The third was almost transparent, with a light mist over it. And the fourth was one that Adrianna recognized immediately. The blood red liquid sat still, almost like a mirror.
"Now then. I have mixed up a few potions here. Some of these you will not make until later years, but I am going to introduce them to you at any rate. Does anyone know what this one is?" Slughorn indicated to the blue potion in the first cauldron. Two hands shot up. Lupin's and a girl whom Adrianna recognized as Lily Evans from the sorting. "Yes, Miss Evans?"
"That's the Wiggenweld potion. It restores stamina and energy to the person that drinks it."
"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. Now, what about this one?" He indicated to the next one. The same hands shot up. "Mr. Lupin?"
"The Polyjuice potion. It allows the drinker to change their appearance."
"Another five points to Gryffindor. This next one?" A hand in the back row rose, and Adrianna turned in her seat to see a sallow faced, greasy haired boy staring malevolently back at her. "Mr. Snape?"
"The Draught of Living Death. It puts the drinker into a deep sleep. If the maker is too heavy handed in making it though, it may cause the drinker to go into a dangerous, and sometimes irreversible sleep."
"Excellent. Five points to Slytherin. And this last one?" Adrianna raised her hand, but she was surprised to see that she was the only one. "Miss Le Fay?"
"The Kiss of the Undead. It is a poison deadly to all except the ranks of the undead, which include Vampires, Zombies, and Inferi."
Slughorn looked slightly unnerved, but managed, "Ten points to Gryffindor. I have no idea how you knew that, though."
"I read." Adrianna replied simply, though the look that Lupin shot her told the Professor otherwise.
"After class, with me, Le Fay." He turned to the rest of the group to speak, but the bell rang shrilly, cutting him off. "Dismissed. Homework, read chapter one of your books. There will be a quiz next class." There was a shuffling of papers as the class got up and exited, but Lupin lingered at the door. Adrianna walked up to Slughorn's desk.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes." Slughorn shuffled his papers nervously. "How did you come to know about the potion, Adrianna?"
"I read the Advanced Potion Making book, Professor. That's it."
Slughorn nodded, though he still looked skeptical. "Alright. You may go."
Adrianna turned, meeting Lupin's gaze as she left the room. He followed. "Why did you lie?"
"I don't want everyone knowing that I'm a vampire. It's bad enough that the Headmaster knows."
"I get it, Adrianna. But to a teacher?" Lupin persisted, laying gentle stress on the last word.
"Lupin, please…" She glanced up and met his eyes. They flashed yellow once more, and she knew hers had gone blood red. "I'll…I'll talk to you later." She hurried down the hall, putting as much space between her and the werewolf as she could. Sirius met her halfway down the hall.
"Hey…what's the matter, Adrianna?" He walked next to her, draping an arm carelessly around her shoulders.
She smiled, relaxing visibly. "I…it's nothing. When's the full moon?"
Sirius stared at the ceiling for a moment, before speaking. "I think it's tomorrow. Why?"
Adrianna shook her head. "You go ahead. I'll meet you in a minute." Sirius nodded, leaving her to lean against the wall. Leaning with her back against the unyielding stone, she sighed. Footsteps sounded, and she glanced up to meet the eyes of the greasy haired boy that had been sitting behind her in potions. "What do you want?"
The boy…Snape…shrugged. "I'm walking. It's not illegal, is it?"
"Keep walking, then." Adrianna snapped, turning and stalking away towards the Great Hall.
You flame, I ignore. WoOt!