Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 3

Myrtle Maxwell sobbed as she raced into the Hogwarts hospital wing. She nearly bowled over Madam Luscinia as she raced inside. She sat down with a loud thump on an empty hospital bed, ignoring the partitioned off beds surrounding her. "Madam Luscinia! I feel awful, absolutely horrible!" She sniffled, and wiped her nose on her robe sleeve. Myrtle looked up. She stopped sobbing and looked around in shock. "Madam Luscinia! Aren't you coming? I'm sick! My eyes can't see right and my stomach aches, and I think I'm getting a rash on my face!" She waved her arms in the air, frantically. "I'm sick! I'm very, very sick!" Myrtle scowled at the nurse. "Do something!"

Madam Luscinia sighed. "Again?" She shook her head, wearily. "You were sick last week, remember?"

"Well, I didn't get over it." Myrtle said, stubbornly. "I'm dreadfully sick."

Madam Luscinia walked over to the bed where Myrtle sat. She studied Myrtle. "Myrtle, you cried yourself sick. Again. That is all." She calmly sat on the bed next to Myrtle, and sighed again. "Myrtle, dear. You're only doing this to yourself."

Myrtle drew back, insulted. "I am not! It's all Olive Hornby's fault! She was making fun of my glasses again!"

"But you don't have to let her get under your skin this way. If you cry you're only giving her a foothold."

"Humph." Myrtle sulked. "Am not." She whined.

Madam Luscinia frowned at her. Then stood and spoke. "The hospital wing is for those who are sick, Myrtle, and for those who have been petrified in the recent attacks. You aren't either of those. I'm going to my office, and when I return I expect that you'll be gone." She turned and walked back to her office, firmly closing the door behind her.

Myrtle followed her with wide eyes. How dare she! She's the nurse for Merlin's sake. She can't abandon her patients. She scowled at the door to Madam Luscinia's office. It's probably because of my glasses. She's exactly like the rest of them. All of them looking down on me. Like Olive Hornby. Arrogant Ravenclaw cow. I bet Madam Luscinia was a Ravenclaw. She stood and began pacing. "Everybody's against me." She stopped and spoke aloud. "Especially those horrible Ravenclaws." She sent a dark look towards the office door. "Why couldn't there have been three founders? Just Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff?" She started pacing again. "It's all thanks to that Ravenclaw cow." She muttered, whining. "Thank you Rowena Ravenclaw…" She started. Her insult was stopped by the sight of a section of wall next to the fireplace pulling away.

"Merlin…" She said, stunned, as she headed to the door. "What is this?" She stopped just outside the entrance and looked in.

Inside was a library with shelves full of books, and a small piano in the corner.

Just a stupid library? Myrtle thought scornfully. "Wait… This is something Olive Hornby has never found." She grinned. I'll find her and I'll tell her. She'll be so jealous…

But wait… What if someone finds it after me? Think Myrtle… There must have been a password, but what was it? Myrtle thought back over her last words. Then she started talking. "It's all thanks to that Ravenclaw cow." She stopped and stared at the door expectantly. Well, that's not it. "Thank you Rowena…" The section closed. Thank you Rowena. Weird password. Myrtle thought briefly, but passed that thought. It probably wasn't important.

"Thank you Rowena." Myrtle spoke again, testing the password. The door opened in front of her.

Myrtle gave a decidedly un-Hufflepuff like smirk. Stupid Olive Hornby can't make fun of me anymore. I'm going to be famous. They'll probably put me in the new editions of Hogwarts: A History. Her eyes glazed over. Maybe I'll even get my very own statue in Hogwarts! Olive Hornby will be soooo jealous.

I'm going to go tell her now. "Thank you Rowena." Myrtle said in a rush, as she marched out of the hospital wing.

Myrtle sauntered down the hall, smugly. Where would I be if I were a mean jerk? She thought, snickering. A few students gave her strange looks as she wandered the halls. Several students had been petrified and were in the hospital, and they wondered that Myrtle would so casually stroll down the halls.

Myrtle ignored the odd looks she was receiving and continued her search.

There she is…

Olive Hornby sat on a low wall in the courtyard. Her posse sat surrounding her, all giggling wildly (and forcefully) at her what she was saying. She shook her hair back, and giggled as her eyes followed a boy walking across the courtyard. Her eyes landed on Myrtle walking towards her.

Myrtle hesitated at the almost predatory light that entered Olive's eyes. "Hello Myrtle." Olive gave a fake smile. "It's so wonderful to see you!" She gushed. She smirked at her friends. "Is that a new look?" She turned her smirk on Myrtle. "New glasses?"

Myrtle hesitated. "No?"

Olive's smirk widened. "Are you sure? I don't remember them being so butterbeer bottle thick." She started laughing and, immediately, her friends all started laughing too.

Myrtle felt her eyes begin tearing up.

"Oh! Is the poor four-eyes going to cry?" Olive cooed. Her friends giggled. Olive snickered. "Honestly." She continued. "You could pick something better to cry about…" She sneaked a wicked smile at a friend, and then looked back at Myrtle. "Like your stringy hair and over-all ghastly looks." A girl in the back of the girl pack snorted. Myrtle felt the first tear begin falling down her face.

"You can't make fun of me anymore Olive." She starts, bravely. "I've found…" Olive interrupts her. "I can't make fun of you? Great Merlin! What have I been doing all this time?" She stood. "Little nobodies like you deserve to be made fun of. You should be thanking me." Olive raised one perfect eyebrow. "Who else would pay attention to you otherwise? It's not like you have any friends." The group behind her actually cheered.

Myrtle burst into tears and ran from her. Everyone's looking at me! She raced up a set of stairs, mentally checking off doors as she went past them. Too many people here! She ran into the second floor girl's bathroom and into a stall and sat and sobbed.

Myrtle looked up. There was a boy outside! In a girls toilet! She scowled. How dare he disturb me?

She reached for the door handle and pushed the door open. "How dare you…"

Big, yellow eyes greeted her.

She forgot about the door in the hospital wing. Forgot about what was behind it. Time narrowed to the bathroom and why she was there, and to those humongous, terrible eyes.

And then time stopped.