Chapter 28: The Gryffindor Party

Chapter 28

The Gryffindor Party

Sage had changed in the two weeks since he passed out cold after figuring out what Merlin's prophecies meant. Everybody seemed to notice the change, but did not know why, and Sage was not about to change that. His stomach was constantly aching and his appetite small. Sage wouldn't even accompany the team out to play quidditch. All he seemed to do was read or stare into the fire lifelessly. His icey blue eyes, which had come to life in the months he had spent at Hogwarts, had glazed over again. His mood was sour and his temper short.

He had snapped at Hermione quite a few times when the girl asked him to help her with new spells, and his apologies were quiet and lackluster. Harry had stopped asking him to go for rides on their brooms. Ron had stopped asking him to play chess. It seemed as if he was reverting back to what he was prior to coming to Hogwarts, and even Snape was no longer used to that. Severus had grown more accustomed to Sage being similar to Jace, rather than similar to himself.

Sage bottled the rest of the acid green potion he had been brewing for Severus. His body moved smoothly, but mechanically, and his face was blank. Severus had watched his nephew work the entire time. He could not figure what had happened that had changed the boy. It could not have been his detention. He raised his eyebrow as Sage looked up at him.

"I'm finished sir, may I go now?"

Severus stood up from his seat behind his desk and walked up to boy. He frowned. Something had to be going on. Was the boy having visions he wasn't telling him about? Was he having prophetic dreams again?

"I'd like for you to help me with something first."

Sage's facial expression did not change. Not even a trace of frustration showed on it.

"No offense, uncle, but I'm not feeling very well and I'm very tired. May I please go?"

Severus sighed and stared at Sage deeply. He tried to read him but could not, not a trace of a thought, not a trace of an emotion. He turned his back and his robes swished as he moved. He waved his hand in dismissal, not looking back as his nephew.

Had Sage seen his face, he would have seen it plastered with concern. The way Sage was behaving also aggravated him because he could not quite figure out what was going on. It was not as if Sage was doing anything wrong, because he was not. Severus could not be angry, but he knew that Sage was not sick or tired.

Sage flew into the Gryffindor common room, his gaze directly forward. He did not acknowledge anybody at all. He just wanted to get into his room, take a dreamless sleep potion and fade into nothingness.

When a hand touched him, his eyes flung to his side, his gaze piercing.

Hermione jumped when they met hers. They were so blank and lifeless, but yet so accusing. As if he was secretly cursing her for stopping him in his tracks. His pupils were so dialated that the blue in his eyes showed only little.

He moved the hand away gently, closed his eyes, sighed, and walked away. As angry as he was with the world, as sick as he felt, as much as he tried to hide his fear, he could not be mean to her. He could be blank, but even that made him feel sad.

When his hand met his door handle, his mind was already starting to melt away into oblivion. During those few weeks, he had managed to sneak away. Sneak away from the school and get something to make him feel better. Something in addition to his sleeping potion. Apparation powers were a good thing. He threw his bag off his shoulder and sat down in the chair next to the fire. Instantly, flames engulfed the wood and warmth met his face.

He knew what would make him feel better. A faint smirk crossed his face. He would pose the idea of a party to his fellow Gryffindor's the next day. It would be a time that he could unwind. Unwind without wanting to be alone. If everyone else was wasted too, they wouldn't ask him questions, or be otherwise annoying.

Clear plastic cups with a light blue, almost turquoise, liquid inside of them were floating all around the Gryffindor common room attached to a hoard of young teenagers. Along with these were cups of amber, filled with Bass or Harps. Music was blaring from no place in particular and everyone was being obnoxiously loud. Ginny Weasley was furiously slapping her brothers, Fred and George, all over their arms, backs, and where ever else she could hit while they were trying to run away from her. They had turned her hair into a big pink afro. Ron was laughing hysterically at the whole scene and at how his new friend had managed to rid them of Percy and the other prefects for the night. They would be leaving tomorrow to go home and this was 'A Farewell Party'.

Of course no one protested having such a party, since they didn't tell the prefects, and someone was able to procure all the items they would need to throw a party much to the dismay of many students. Most of them had never been to a real party before and were immensely enjoying themselves and getting toasted in the process. Even Hermione seemed to be loosening up and had her own cup.

Sage was in the middle of teaching them a drinking game he had learned while hanging out in muggle London once before coming to Hogwarts. They were sitting in a circle and each of them had a bunch of playing cards and they had to balance a card on top of a beer can each turn. The cards were finally mounting up, the catch being that the cards couldn't be flush on top of each other, so it was beginning to rather look like a mushroom.

Harry, beer in one hand, aimmed to put his card on the right side of the mushroom. It all looked well for about two seconds before the cards came flying down.

By now everyone had the hang of the game and was yelling, "Chug, chug, chug," as Harry threw back his beer in defeat.

Hermione gracefully placed her card on top of the can, followed by Sage, then Ron, and the game continued as the other ten people followed.

Neville by far ended up downing the most beer because of his clumsiness.

As they tired of playing the drinking game, Sage took out a new object from his pocket. A pipe. He put one end in his mouth, lit its contents with his mind, and sucked in its burning warmth. He took his mouth off of it. They watched him as he closed his eyes, inhaled more to pull down the smoke, and held his breath.

He hadn't really said much all night other than to teach them the drinking game at the behest of Oliver Wood who had heard they were roaring fun. Many people were carrying around cigarettes, but nobody had ever seemed to have seen someone smoking what Sage was smoking. He let out a whirl of thick smoke.

"Is that what I think it is, Sage?" Hermione asked. Her mouth was agape slightly is surprise, but she didn't seem to be too opposed, which surprised Ron and Harry a great deal. Hermione was getting more and more lax about rule breaking, because of Ron and Harry most likely.

Sage nodded, his entire face looking relaxed for the first time in a few days. He'd had a strange sort of demeanor the last few days and had been rather sarcastic, stoical, and closed as well. "Yeah, do you want to try?" He answered.

Hermione's face froze. Sage could see the battle forging in her mind.

"Oi, I will, how do I do it?"

Sage turned to face Ron, who was on his other side, and said, "Here, put this end in your mouth and I'll light it. The draw on it, um, suck it in. It might burn a bit but try not to cough it out, hold on to it, or else you'll waste it and not feel anything."

Everyone gaped at Ron as he tried, somewhat successfully. He was able to hold down the smoke for a whole 5 seconds before coughing miserable, engulfing his head in a cloud of smoke. Sage smirked. Ron handed it back to Sage as his lungs rebelled against him.

Wood tried next, and given the fact he had smoked cigarettes before, did much better than Ron did, although he also seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the density of the smoke. It certainly was different than a cigarette and much more difficult to keep down.

After Wood, Harry had the courage enough to reach for it, encouraged by the blanket of alcohol he had bathing his brain. Sage looked oddly gleeful as he lit it for his cousin and watched him take a hit. Harry sputtered once, but then kept the rest down. Sage nodded in approval.

Sage was finally beginning to feel better, his mind was numb, everything seemed so light and even comical. His body was no longer tense like it had been the past few days. The confusion, the anger, and the fear seeped away from his body and left his thoughts. He was rid of them for the moment. His high was mello but satisfying. It loosened him up, made him feel a little more open, and took away some of his well ingrained inhibitions.

Repeatedly, he lit the pipe for various people with his mind. It was so simple for him to focus on that one thing, and he felt himself completely taken over by watching the red embers burn the dried up bud in the bowl.

Finally, even Hermione took it reluctantly, perhaps giving in to peer pressure and tried it. This time Sage's focus turned to her face as her lips touched the pipe, he watched her hand tremble at the idea of what she was doing. She pulled with her mouth on the end of the pipe to draw the smoke into her mouth, her cheeks flushed with alcohol already. He barely saw her chest rise as the smoke travelled to her lungs. She managed to keep it down without choking, but released it very quickly. It swirled around Sage's face. Sage took another hit and passed it around again.

Harry abruptly exclaimed, "Oi, somebody nicked my beer!"

Before long the room echoed with laughter and yells and merriment as the majority of Gryffindor students were either drunk, high, or both. Suddenly, Ron slapped Sage on the shoulder and said, "What do you want to bet that I could snog Katie Bell right now?"

Sage's eyebrows went up and his lips curled sadistically as he said, "I'll take the bet. How about if I lose I do what you want, if you lose you do what I want."

Ron was so totally gone, Sage knew Ron would accept those terms even though any sober person would have been wary.

"Sure mate." He walked off to the girl in question.

Within a minute a resounding slap was heard as Katie screamed, "Get away from me Ron Weasley! Stop trying to slabber on me!"

Everybody roared with laughter and Sage informed Ron as to what he wanted him to do. Every eye was on Ron as his face was suddenly overcome by a look of pure horror. He was as red as a tomato. Dejectedly, he went upstairs.

Hermione plopped down on the couch next to Sage and handed him another drink as he put the pipe up to his mouth again and mentally lit it. He passed it to her again and was overcome once more by the sight of her lips meeting the wood of the pipe. She handed it back to him, brushing his hand accidentally as she went. The touch fired up his arm, a barage of impulses invading his nervous system.

"You are looking better," she said, "You've been a little out of spirits lately."

He nodded, not knowing what to say. If he had known he had been betraying his mood so easily to those around him, he would have tried to hide it more. Even now he felt exposed, especially to her.

"I'm glad," she said again glancing up into his blue eyes.

He brushed his hair away from his temples and behind his ears, "Me too." He lifted the pipe again.

"I'm glad you came here."

She was drifting so fast from one subject to the next without making any sort of a segue that a sober person would have found the logic confusing. But to her, and to Sage, it was perfectly sensical. His mind was swirling in pleasure and it all seemed to flow to him. Hermione was all too aware of her senses, which were so alert, she was receiving all kinds of messages to her brain.

The soft, silky sound of his deep voice, the whispers of smoke drifting by her face and neck. The way the cushions of the couch were tilted in his direction because of his weight, pulling her towards him. The look of his arms pressing out at the hem of the sleeves of his long-sleeved black shirt and the way his chest tapered, even though he was thin. Just the way the black shirt contrasted with the khaki color of his trousers intrigued her. Simple intrigued her in this state.

It was freeing.

"I'm glad you're here," he ventured. He turned his head to her, "Glad you're right here." He indicated vaguely to her position next to him.

Everything faded from her awareness except for him, her head was airy, her eyes kept blinking, her body was warm. The alcohol and the smoke were getting to her. She felt like nothing mattered, like reality was fading, as if she were in a dream.

She reached up and took the pipe out of his hand and placed it gently on the table in front of them. He glared at her. Her eyes were so big and warm. Nobody had ever looked at him like that. Their eyes looked onto one another and he felt like they were alone in a dark room, away from all of his problems. Soon, he could feel her breath on his face and neck and he couldn't remember who had moved, her or him. His hand was buried in her hair as they continued to stare at each other. His lips were parted and he closed them around her pouty lower lip. Their silkiness enveloped his lips and he felt their warmth reverberate throughout his body.

All sound was lost to him, all sight as well, he didn't realize when he closed his eyes but he had. Both of his hands were on her now, one cradling her right ear and jawbone, the other on her shoulder. He felt one of hers vaguely playing with his black hair, but his focus only allowed him to attend to her kiss. He let himself go deep in sensation as their kiss became more passionate. He didn't feel a need for air. They bodies moved closer almost of their own accord.

Neither noticed Harry cat-calling and hooting or Ron stopped dead at the end of the stairs. Sage didn't get to enjoy the site of what he had asked Ron to do for losing their bet. The red-hair boy was wearing one of Ginny's dark green dresses and it clung to his body like spandex because he was a lot bigger than her. Not only did Sage not care, but he didn't even remember where he was. All he knew is he was lost in her mouth and incapable of processing anything else.

Hermione grabbed at his arm, encouraging him to move closer. She knew that she was running her fingers through his silky hair, but she couldn't focus on that. Her mind was suffocated by the smell of him - a combination of spice and citrus.

Professor McGonagall was startled awake by a strange sound filling the area of the castle around her rooms. She was groggy and at first feared that it was Sirius Black as she heard pounding. Reality dawned on her as she heard uncontrolled laughter, bangs, and music. Never in her years had she ever heard anything like it. Hurriedly, she pulled on her robes on top of her nightgown and rushed to the fire. She hoped that Severus would be working in his lab and have his fire going to heat his potions. She knew that Remus would have his on as his rooms were abnormally drafty. She through the powder down into the flames of her fireplace.

"Remus! Severus! Come up to Gryffindor immediately. I have a situation I may need your help with."

Before long a pissed off, glaring, stalking Professor Snape stopped around the corner from the Gryffindor tower where Professors Lupin and McGonagall were waiting for him. His eyebrow popped up as he heard the music blaring from the dormitories and the wild laughter. He understood why Minerva had called the two of them. This was no regular party. Either the were being extraordinarily wild or were engaging in something they shouldn't be.

"Well?" He asked roughly, "What are we waiting for, an invitation?"

His black eyes narrowed as he strode up to the Fat Lady and growled the password, his hands tight in fists. McGonagall and Lupin were right behind him. They were glad he took the lead, because, although neither would admit it, they didn't have any idea what to do.

The door flapped open and they suddenly became aware that more than they feared was going on. Smoke met their noses instantly. Severus recognized cigarettes because he had smoked for a few months in his youth, but then he recognized something he normally smelt coming from certain potions. Cannibis? He thought. Gods, a room full of high Gryffindors! They will wet themselves with fear when we walk in.

The first thing the three professors notice was all the blue and brown liquids being drunk by the young students, next that over a third of them were smoking, third was Ron Weasley in a green dress, and fourth was at least six pairing of students who were in dire need of hotel rooms.

Severus' blood almost boiled out his ears when he finally sighted Sage, snogging the Granger girl, heavily, with a pipe sitting in front of him along with two glasses of some alcoholic beverage. His head pounded with anger. He clenched his fists so tightly that he could no longer feel his fingers. Was the boy that stupid?

"SILENCE!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs.

The students, who suddenly became aware of the presence of the professors all gasped. Glasses dropped, some students tried to hide their cigarettes. Others stammered in fear. Sage immediately pulled away from Hermione and tried to put some distance between them, hoping nobody noticed. Reality had come back to him, slamming him hard in the face. He was aware that his head was pounding, his heart racing, and his world moving on its own.

McGonagall stepped forward and stood next to a glowering Professor Snape. He was throwing death stares all around and especially at the couch his nephew was sharing.

"In all my years, I have never seen something such as this! This is disgraceful. My own students," She said coldly. Her face was so stern and sour that many mouths dropped wide open. Some of the students began to move back away from the professors.

"WHO, is responsible for this?" Severus yelled.