He had been staring at the old, arched doorway for some time now, trying to decide if he really wanted to go in or not. It had taken a bit to even find the place. He had wandered around the first floor for some time before figuring out where the false wall had been. With the Repelling Charms long since dispelled, it had proven a bit difficult. He was going off of memory, and his mind was still cloudy. His pounding headache was still lingering, as well, which certainly wasn't helping matters any.

The portrait on the doorway moved occasionally, but it hadn't tried talking to him. Or, at least, he didn't think it had. It was always so hard to tell with snakes. Blowing out a weak sigh, his head made the decision for him. He could barely keep his eyes open. Even the dull light in the entrance to the Snake Pit was hurting.

"Cryoseism." He whispered, looking at the ouroboros on the door.

The little snake, named Leviathan by his father, let out a lazy hiss. The door creaked for a moment, then opened inward. Vega winced as the light from the fire on the far side of the room hit his eyes, immediately wondering why it was even lit. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him and glanced around. The Pit was as his father had said it would be - just the same as when he had left Hogwarts. Vega walked around, familiarising himself with the five rooms, before stopping to look at the bookcases.

His father had warned him to stay away from the ones on the blue bookcase. The books on the brown one were more casual reading material. The books held on the blue shelves contained Dark Arts tomes and other such things his father didn't want him looking through. At least, he figured, not at eleven years of age. The quarters were all very neatly kept, containing no dust whatsoever. Vega assumed that this, along with the lit fire, meant that the house elf his father had brought up had been taking care of the place.

Harry had warned him of Dobby, telling him that unless he had plenty of time and energy, it would be best to not introduce himself right away. As Vega walked over to the soft-looking couch, he thought that was a wise decision. He really didn't feel like talking much. He already had too much on his mind. He paused before sitting down, however, glancing back toward the door to the bedroom. He still had a bit of time before his first real Defense Against the Dark Arts class took place. He could take a nap and be up in time. He knew a potent waking spell his mother had passed on to him... and often liked to use on him when he tried sleeping in on holidays.

As he stepped toward the bedroom, he paused again. Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder. There was no one in the room, but he had the distinct impression that he was being watched. His eyes darted up to the hole in the ceiling, where a small beholder once took up residence. But there was nothing there. Nothing that he could see, at any rate. Shaking his head, he chalked it up to his headache and headed into the bedroom. He didn't see any reason to close the door, as no one he knew had any idea where the Pit was. Kicking off his shoes, he sat on the edge of the bed. Almost at once, a sense of profound sleepiness washed over him, making his eyelids incredibly heavy.

"This sucks," he muttered, scooting back to lay down on the bed properly. Because although he was feeling tired again, his head was still pounding. And now that he was laying down, he could feel the dizziness he had been trying to ignore. Grabbing at one of the pillows his head wasn't laying on, he hugged it and buried his face against it. "This really sucks..."

He shifted a little, drawing his wand, and muttered the familiar incantation while aiming at himself. He squeezed his eyes closed as the bright orange light hit him in the face. And, once he was sure he had done the spell correctly, he rolled over to put his wand on the nearest nightstand. Rolling back, he clutched at the spare pillow once more, curling up against it and shutting his eyes.

And there, by himself in the Pit's bedroom, with the only sound being the gentle crackling of the fire one room over, Vega finally let himself slip into unconsciousness.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was with a low whine that he was awakened, the sounds of an alarm clock going off in his ears. It would persist until he sat upright, but he was so comfortable that he didn't want to move. Finally, with a decidedly foul curse, he sat up. His headache had subsided at some point, for which he was grateful. And he knew that his first Defense class would be underway within the hour. He had a good fifteen minutes to get ready and make it there, and he had a feeling it would take the entirety of that time to do so.

Letting go of the pillow he had apparently remained attached to, he went and grabbed his wand, pocketing it as he forced himself to leave the comfortable bed. Slipping his shoes back on, he left the bedroom and, before making his way out of the Pit, looked around the main room once more. It still didn't feel like he was alone, and he still wasn't sure why. He walked over until he was under the hole in the ceiling. Lighting up his wand, he stretched and held it over his head. But it did little to illuminate the tunnels the beholder had made. Even if something was up there, it was probably capable of ducking back into a side path or chamber to keep from being seen. He needed to figure out how to inspect the thing better. Just in case.

When he left the room, he called out, "I'll probably be back later, Levi."

The little snake on the door hissed softly at him, and he smirked. Hopping up the short flight of stairs, he cautiously poked his head out through the fake wall. Harry had told him it was rare for anyone to be in that particular corridor, but he still wanted to be extra careful. Not that he assumed anyone who did make it through could figure out the password Harry had set on the door before leaving the school. Putting his hands in his pockets, he set off towards the Defense classroom. He didn't have a terribly long walk ahead of him, but he also wasn't really feeling like talking to anyone just yet. His father had been right. The Pit was cathartic in a way he couldn't quite place. He felt far better than he had going in. And whether that was due to his nap or whether the Pit had some kind of charm on it that calmed its residents was beyond his guessing. But he was more apt to blame the nap, since he was still generally feeling apathetic for no explainable reason.

Still, he was looking forward to Defense. His father was famous for the things he had done and invented. When the time rift had opened, and Harry quite literally had to do something about himself to fix things, he had invoked a type of defensive magic that no one really understood. Harry himself still only had vague memories of the event. He often lost himself in thought, trying to work out what it was that had been changed due to the intervention. And he always came away from these sessions saying that it felt like the answer was just there, out of range but within view. Vega never quite understood it. He only knew that some extreme form of time travel was involved and that his father had cleansed himself of the madness that the Gauntlet of the Magi had had on him. Or rather, 'the other him' had. Whatever the heck that meant.

Time travel, Harry had told him once, hurt his head. Vega, after trying to work out what his father had been talking about, quite agreed.

Stepping into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he found the twins already seated. He walked over and sat at the desk just behind them. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Viola said. "Where'd you disappear to, then? We went looking for you, but you weren't anywhere we checked."

"S'a secret." Vega said, smiling wanly.

"It's a secret?" Hydrus repeated, raising an eyebrow slightly. "You realize we can always ask our parents if this has something to do with a hidden chamber or something. Which it must be, since we checked everywhere we thought you might be..."

Vega blushed, scowling a little. "Oh, be quiet, Hyde. Was just taking a nap is all. Headache's gone, by the way."

"What'd Eskander talk to you about? He got up right after you did, but he never came back." Viola said.

"Hm? Oh... he just felt guilty, I guess. He was blaming himself for my blackout. I told him not to worry and that he certainly couldn't have predicted something like that happening, but he didn't look too convinced." Vega said, frowning slightly.

"Have you decided one way or the other on what you're going to do?" Hydrus asked.

"Do?" Vega said, blinking.

"About Quidditch."

"Oh. ...I think I'm still going to be Seeker, if Danielson'll let me. It felt good up there. Just need to be careful. I can't get mad or push myself. I think that might be what triggers... whatever that was." Vega said, looking thoughtful. "We'll see how it goes. If I black out again, I'll step down. But I want to at least give it a proper try."

"That's the spirit!" Viola cheered. "I'm a shoe-in for Chaser and Hydrus is the reserve Keeper for now, so technically we all made it!"

"Technically." Said Hydrus, dryly. "But I'm patient. I can wait until I get a proper chance to play my part."

"Professor Tadyggbo show up yet?" Asked Vega.

"Not yet." Viola said, looking toward the door at one end of the front of the class. "He's still in the back... no noises or anything. Which I hope is a good sign."

"What kind of noises did you think you think you were going to hear?" Asked Hydrus, frowning at his sister.

"Well... I dunno. He might have had a manticore." Viola said, lower lip jutting out slightly.

Vega snorted. "A manticore? Doing a right good job keeping it quiet, then, isn't he?"

"Oh, shut up." Sulked Viola, turning back around in her seat as the door in the back of the room opened.

Through it stepped a middle-aged man with slightly greying hair. He had a good many facial lines, but held a jovial look on his face. He had a slight gut on him, and when he spoke, it was in a soft, yet deep accent. "Well then, good afternoon, everyone. I hope you're all still awake enough after eating your fill earlier to focus on what we'll be doing today. If not, don't worry, it's mostly a summary of what I'll be trying to accomplish with you this term. Now generally, I like to try and make my students feel welcome, so I tend to tell them a bit about myself before launching into work."

Walking over to stand behind his desk, he surveyed his class and smiled, turning toward the blackboard behind him. A piece of chalk levitated up and started writing his name out. "Now then, first thing's first! My name is Gareth Tadyggbo, and I hail from down in Penarth. You can blame my father for our rather odd last name. But to be fair, before he went and changed it to what it is now, our main family's surname was Gittinus. And he was rather sick of bein' called "that old Git" by his coworkers. When I was younger, I worked at a primary school back home. When Minerva called and asked if I'd like to fill in the seemingly-cursed Defense position, I told her I'd be glad to. Despite my position, I'm not that big on old curses. And I've worked here for quite awhile now, to no ill effects! So I suppose that one didn't hold as much water as some people thought.

"As for your lessons this year, we'll be starting off with the basics and working up from there. And by 'basics,' I mean we'll begin by going over some of the less dangerous spells and creatures you might run across in your life. Plenty of time in your later years to be dealing with Unforgiveables and chimaeras, after all! You won't have any work for today, so there's no need to have parchment or anything with you. So go ahead and put those away, for the few who've prepared ahead of time. It's getting towards evening, it is, and if I load you down with too much, you'll fall asleep on the way back to your common room. Right! Any questions so far?"

One of the other Slytherin first years raised her hand. When Tadyggbo nodded at her, she asked, "What are we going to be studying first?"

"Well, I wanted something at least mildly interesting, so I decided we'd go over kappas first. Lot of nice history behind them, you know. Very simple creatures, and normally very docile and sometimes even friendly. So long as you don't antagonize them or steal their food, anyway. I've heard plenty of horror stories about children being spirited away and devoured by them. I'll be bringing one in that's agreed to help out, actually. An old friend of mine from back home ran across it by chance not long ago. I must say, it's a bit far from home, though they have been spreading out from their native Japan for awhile now. Was completely unaware they'd gotten this far! Unexpected, but quite fortunate! The kitchen staff has been keeping it well fed, and it seems to have made friends with the giant squid out in the lake, if you can believe that. The merpeople don't seem to mind it so much, either, though they keep their guard up when they know it's swimming about." Tadyggbo explained, sitting down at his desk. "So that's the first bit we'll be going over. After that, I'd like to vary it up and teach some beginner's wandwork and actual defensive spells and the like. I don't believe in focusing on just spellcraft or just creature studies. Keeping it mixed up keeps us all from growing too tired of doing the same thing all the time. Anyone else?"

More hands raised, with Tadyggbo answering at length with as many as he could for the duration of the class. It told a good deal that it was a good seven minutes after the bell has sounded that the first year Slytherins started trickling out of the class, talking excitedly about what they would be learning about. Vega was feeling it, as well, and the strange mood he had been in earlier in the day was all but gone now.

"I like him." Said Vega, as he and the twins walked back toward the Slytherin common room. "Seems really nice."

"I'm just glad we won't be working on one thing for a month on end. And I think if you let him, he'd probably talk that long." Viola said.

"Yeah, he's a bit long-winded." Vega agreed. "But at least he knows what he's talking about. You remember our parents talking about this class? They had like one or two guys who knew their stuff and the rest were idiots. To be honest, I'm kind of glad he over-explains things. Hell, even I can understand the theory behind things at the rate he talks. Just hope he can manage to make everything stay interesting."

"He's no Binns." Hydrus stated. "And as long as he doesn't sink to that level, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Viola grinned at Hydrus. "I'm going to keep track, you know."

"Of what?" Asked Hydrus.

"How many times you fall asleep in his class." Viola said.

Hydrus scowled, looking off. "It was early in the morning, I was late from the blasted stairs getting in my way, and he speaks in such a monotone voice, I couldn't help it..."

"Aww, look at him, Vega, he's embarrassed! I think I've finally found a weak spot in his armor!" Viola exclaimed, giggling.

"You've found nothing." Hydrus grumbled, crossing his arms and speeding up his walk to get in front of the other two.

Viola nudged Vega once Hydrus couldn't see them, and the two smiled. And, as they reached the wall leading to the common room, Viola innocently said, "I'm just saying, if you want me to bring a pillow next time, I can! Maybe a blanket, a cup of warm milk, your favorite stuffed animal from when we were litt--"

"I get the point!" Hydrus said in a loud enough voice to drown his sister's out. "Now would you please cut that out?"

"Well... alright. But only because you don't look very dignified blushing so brightly."

"I'm not blushing!"

"Yes you are."

"No. I'm not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"No I am not!"

"Vega, would you please tell him he's blushing!" Viola said, turning toward him.

But Vega had made a point of spinning around to face away from them. When Viola poked him, he jumped a little. "W-what?"

"What're you doing? C'mon, tell Hydrus he's blushing!" Viola said, grinning.

But Vega didn't think he could turn back around at the moment. As it was, he was having to bite down on his lower lip and hiding a blush of his own. Taking a quick, deep breath, he leveled his voice out and replied, "Stop tormenting him, Vivi. Didn't you almost fall asleep, too?"

"Almost." Viola said, smirking. "But unlike my dear big brother, I managed to keep it together. And now I can hold my head high and tease him about blushing!"

"Not blushing." Hydrus argued. "I'm also not continuing down this argument's path. Going to go and study for awhile..."

Hydrus vanished into the common room and headed for the stairs. When he was gone, Viola let out a disappointed sigh. "Aw, and I was having so much fun." Glancing over at Vega, she asked, "What's up? You not feeling good? Need to go back up to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"That isn't it." Vega said, letting out a frustrated scowl. "I'm fine, Vivi. Don't worry about me."

"Hey, that's my job." Viola said, whirling Vega around and aiming him into the common room. "Someone has to watch out for you. You might get stepped on by a seventh year if I don't!"

"Wh... hey, no fair sniping me about my height..." Vega said, pouting. "You know I have no control over that. Yet. It'd be nice if I could find a spell to make myself taller..."

"And less scrawny!" Chimed Viola.

"And less sc-- less scrawny?!" Vega crowed, turning to glare at Viola. "Oh, you're a fine one to talk!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Asked Viola.

"Just what you think it does, you ostrich!"

"Ostrich?! Oh, I'll ostrich you, Potter!"

"You'll ostrich me? What does that even me--OUCH!" Vega cried, having gotten lightly kicked in the shin by Viola, who laughed and took off toward the girls' stairs. "Get back here!"

"Nope! Go brood with my brother! I will remain victorious and see you both at dinner!"

"Victorious?! In what world did you come out the victor in this argument?!"

"This one!" Said Viola, bowing to Vega before disappearing down the stairs.

Vega stared at the spot she had been for awhile before rolling his eyes and searching for somewhere to sit down. Women, he thought, were completely out of their minds.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

By the time dinnertime had rolled around, the twins had thankfully stopped bickering with each other and had moved on to other topics. Unfortunately, those topics mostly centered around Vega's accident and subsequent recovery, something Vega himself wasn't all that thrilled to discuss. He had told them countless times now that he was feeling perfectly fine, a mild bit of apathy and annoyance aside.

When they reached the Great Hall, they went and sat at the end of the table nearest the doors, Vega glancing around for a moment. "Good, Danielson isn't around."

"Why's that good?" Asked Viola, looking for something that sounded good to eat. "Weren't you wanting to give him the news that you're on board?"

"He'd make a bit deal of it if it happened in here." Vega stated. "Even back in the dungeons is fine enough. So long as it isn't in front of the whole school."

"You don't think he could reign it in?" Hydrus asked.

"I don't think I want to chance it." Vega said, shaking his head.

"Fair enough. Though it does make me wonder where he is if not here..." Hydrus said, turning to slowly look around the room. "Hm..."

"Probably working on strategies and whatnot." Vega said. "You know how he is."

"Unfortunately. Well, you have a point. Let's see if we can't get through a single meal without some sort of--"

"Oi, Potter!" Came a female voice from nearby.

"--interruption." Hydrus finished, blowing out a low sigh.

Vega looked up from his still-empty plate to see Valerie Carmichael and Samantha Alven walking toward the Slytherin table. Something akin to annoyed worry was plastered all over Valerie's face. When she reached the Slytherins, she leaned in close to Vega and asked, "Have you seen Lapis around, Potter?"

"Not since earlier..." Vega said. "Why?"

"Lapis has been mysteriously absent since then." Samantha said, sounding almost bored. "I'm sure the idiot'll show up sooner or later. I keep telling Valerie not to worry, but she's trying to turn the castle upside-down."

"It's just strange, is all!" Valerie said, scowling at her friend. "Lapis never acts like this..."

"How long have you three known each other, anyway?" Vega asked.

"Since we were little." Samantha said, smiling faintly. "Not sure how we met, though. It might have been back in primary school..."

"And he doesn't usually behave this way?" Hydrus said, leaning forward against the table.

"Not in a long time. I think the last time I saw Lapis upset was when his aunt died." Valerie said, looking thoughtful for a moment. "That was three years ago..."

"Well, what did he do back then? Did he try hiding himself away?" Asked Hydrus.

"Yeah. He went and holed up in his room." Samantha said.

"That's probably what he's done this time. You should ask someone from the boy's dorm to go and drag him out." Hydrus said, shrugging.

Valerie and Samantha exchanged an odd look then before the former coughed and said, "Yeah. We'll do that. ...In any case, it shouldn't be too hard to get him out, I don't think. If he hasn't turned up by meal's end, we'll go see if he's lurking somewhere in the tower."

"Let me know if you can't find him." Vega said, frowning. "He seemed to be taking the accident way too hard."

"That's just the way Lapis is." Valerie said. "Always trying to shoulder the world alone."

As the two girls turned and headed back toward the Ravenclaw table, Samantha leaned in and whispered something to Valerie, who nodded and smiled.

"That was odd." Viola said. "D'you think he's okay?"

"Dunno." Vega said. "Hard to tell with that guy. One minute he's trying to challenge me to a race, the next he acts like I killed his dog or something, then he's apologetic and miserable."

Viola narrowed her eyes slightly, tapping at the table. "I wonder..."

"What? You think of what might be upsetting him?" Asked Vega.

"Maybe. Anyway, I'll have to ask those two later or something. C'mon, let's eat up. You're gonna need your energy to deal with Danielson!" Viola said, grinning at Vega, who sneered down at his plate.

Time in the Great Hall passed slowly, with Vega idly picking at his food for awhile before settling on a light dinner. He wasn't sure why he felt like he still had butterflies in his stomach. Maybe it was just his nerves, as he certainly was worried about another incident occurring during a match. If he couldn't hold himself together in the air, it was one more thing he'd end up getting tormented over, he was sure of it.

Across the table, Viola and Hydrus had been arguing about something or another for some time. He had decided to not even get into the middle of another one of their spats. The only thing that made him finally break out of his internal brow-beating was someone opening the doors to the Great Hall. His eyes moving to the side, he prayed it wasn't Danielson coming in. He definitely needed time to digest before handling that guy, and it hadn't been anywhere near long enough.

Ian Danielson, however, was not the one to enter the Great Hall. Lapis Eskander, looking worn out for some reason, walked in. He seemed to be absolutely exhausted, and didn't try to fight off an assist over to the table when Samantha and Valerie had gotten up to see if he was okay. They sat him down and went about ensuring he ate, which he slowly did. And, as his food vanished, a bit of energy seemed to return to him. By the time his plate was cleared, he was talking quietly with his friends, though the tiredness hadn't left his eyes.

At one point, Lapis had looked up and caught Vega staring at him. Vega tilted his head slightly, trying to ask his question wordlessly. Frowning for a moment, Lapis simply gave him a small nod before turning his attention back to the two girls sitting opposite him.

"What's on your mind?" Asked Viola, keeping track of what Vega was doing.

"Trying to figure that guy out. Not having any luck so far." Vega answered. Shaking his head, he smiled at Viola. "Dad over-thought stuff. Mum told me I unfortunately inherited that trait from him."

"Not good to think too much on a full stomach. You'll make yourself tired faster." Viola said, stretching and letting out a long yawn.

"Is that the excuse you plan to use to not study?" Asked Hydrus, dryly.

"I'll have you know I can study quite well, thank you very much." Viola said. "And even if I didn't, I know you'll let me look off of your notes."

Hydrus gave his sister a brief, withering look before sighing.

Viola grinned, throwing an arm around Hydrus' shoulders. "See? No one can resist my natural charms!"

"'Natural charms.'" Hydrus repeated, trying to shrug Viola's arm away.

"Yes, natural charms!" Viola stated, smirking. "And don't even act like you don't know what I mean. I remember that night I asked you to get me some leftover cake at, what was it, 3 in the morning? Dead of winter and you trudged your surly butt downstairs and came back with what I asked for."

"I don't suppose I can get away with claiming it was a momentary lapse in sanity, can I?" Asked Hydrus, looking rather grumpy about the path the conversation was on.

"Nope!" Chirped Viola.

"If you're going to lay the syrup on thick, at least wait until breakfast. No sense wasting it when we have no waffles." Vega said, ducking quickly to avoid a head of lettuce thrown by Viola. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself, Potter." Viola said, giving him the evil eye. "...Oh, now you've got me wanting waffles. You suck!"

"It's your own fault." Hydrus stated.

"Oh, so you're siding with him? That's nice..." Viola pouted.

So wrapped up in the silly argument he had somehow let himself be pulled into, Vega didn't see or hear the doors open again. He didn't take note of someone walking up on him until he noticed the shadow fall over the table. And, before he could curse his terrible luck, Ian Danielson had sat down near him.

"Evening, Potter. Holding up alright?"

"As well as can be expected, considering." Vega said, turning to face the Slytherin team's captain. "Where've you been, then?"

"Planning. But I ended up hitting roadblocks. I need to know if you're in or out, Potter. Can't plan anything or try finding another Seeker until I know what you're going to do." Danielson said.

"You need to try finding another Seeker anyway, since I dunno if that kind of thing will happen again." Vega said. "I'll be trying to fight the feeling if it tries surging forward again. I felt strange just before it happened. That's all I can recall, though. But if I start feeling like that again, I'll try and call a time out or something. Keeling over or falling off brooms isn't something I want to become a regular occurence..."

"So you're onboard, then?" Asked Danielson, hope glinting in the back of his eyes.

"I'm in." Vega said, nodding slowly. "Just try not to place too much hope on me, alright? I can fly alright, but being so short's going to be the problem... my choices are all pretty abysmal. I can't just make myself grow. I'd never be able to adjust on the fly. But my only other options are to either sit forward on my broom, in which case I might vault off anyway, or to go faster... and that might trigger whatever caused my blackout..."

"Dunno. You didn't pass out until after you'd landed." Danielson said. "You seemed to hold on just fine until then..."

"Stubbornness and willpower, probably." Vega muttered. "Anyway... I'll be there for the first practice, Danielson. I can't get scared of the air itself. I want to beat this thing, whatever it is."

"That's the spirit!" Danielson barked, grinning. "Okay, going to go back to work, then. Haven't been able to tell who we're up against first this year yet, unfortunately. That'll be announced in a few days' time, I believe."

He started to get up but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Glancing over it, Danielson saw fellow Beater, Vanessa Eyrie, holding up a couple slices of toast.

"If you're going to spend your whole evening working, at least take these with you." She said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Ian, if you're going to be the one to pass out on your broom one of these days if you keep forgetting to eat."

Danielson swiped the toast and smirked. "Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that and I keep somehow getting by just fine."

"Alright, just don't come crying to me when you end up breaking your fat head." Vanessa said, turning and heading back up the table.

"Wh... fat head?!" Danielson repeated, indignantly. "Who has a fat head?!"

"You do, fathead!" Vanessa called.

"...Women." Danielson said, shoulders sagging as he turned and headed back out of the room, absent-mindedly eating the toast he had been given.

"Everyone around me is completely off their nut." Vega said. This was followed quickly by a yawn, which caught him off-guard. "Mmph... guess I'm still pretty tired..."

"You should turn in early." Hydrus suggested. "You're still probably feeling the effects of the potions."

"Probably." Vega agreed. "...Yeah, I think I'm going to head back and call it a day."

"Are you planning to go back to the dungeons or are you going to spirit yourself away again?" Asked Viola, fixing Vega with a pointed look.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Vega said, grinning as he got up. "Don't worry, I'll let you in sooner or later. If you're good."

"If I'm good?" Repeated Viola. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"No more claiming victory, then fleeing." Vega stated, waving as he headed for the doors. As he walked, he looked toward the Ravenclaw table. Though it was only for a moment, he and Lapis locked eyes. And, as Vega slipped out of the room, he gave his rival Seeker a small nod.

Heading for the stairs, another yawn escaped him. There were still a lot of strange things to take in, and he didn't feel like working on any of them. Making sure the twins - and Viola in particular - hadn't followed him, he headed toward the lonely corridor that the Pit was hiding in. He was certainly feeling better, but the butterflies in his stomach still fluttered when he thought about getting into the air again. Now that he'd put his lot in with Danielson, he had to make good on it. And while he was fairly confident he could suppress whatever it was that had caused the blackout, he wasn't so sure his opponents would let him. On top of that, he was worried that Lapis might not go all out against him.

If he didn't, then his fellow Ravenclaws would treat him poorly for it. But Vega wasn't sure he would try, knowing what the first race against him had resulted in. Perhaps that was why Lapis had been partially absent for dinner? Was he thinking about their next face-off, too? Was he trying to decide whether he would be able to go all-out against Vega?

Vega made a face as he thought about it. His father could keep the hunt for lunatics business. He was doing good to not get a headache regarding school subjects and other students. As he approached the fake wall, Vega glanced around to double-check that no one was watching. When he was sure it was safe, he slipped through and headed down the steps. Saying the password to the little snake on the door, he walked back into the Pit and closed the door behind him.

Sanctuary... that was where he was. Here, he didn't have to think about anything but relaxing. Here, worrying about his own magical aptitude or whether he'd pass out on a broomstick could be ignored, at least temporarily. The fire looked more inviting than it had when he had first arrived, and he took a seat on the couch to watch it flicker and crackle. Unlike earlier, he didn't feel as though something was lurking about, watching him from some unseen vantage point. He felt like the whole place was his now. Smiling, he settled back against the couch and closed his eyes.

The warmth of the fire combined with the decidedly small meal he had ended up consuming were starting to work a number on him. Plus, Hydrus was most likely correct. The potions weren't out of his system yet or something. He felt as though he could sleep for a week and still not be rested enough. And he knew the year was still just beginning. He was going to have a long journey ahead of him, whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep on the couch. It would come back to haunt him the following day. But that seemed so far away, and he was incredibly sleepy.

Thinking about how angry his neck and back would be at him simply didn't seem to matter.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Notes: And so, Vega inherits the Snake Pit from his parents. Harry was sure to tell him of both of their hidey-holes that they found when they went to Hogwarts. Just in case. He had a feeling his boy might need them, after all. As for what the odd feeling Vega got in there might be, I'm not going to say. I've got a couple surprises to come that'll occur in or around the Pit. Another case where I'm all eager to write the good stuff, but slow to get TO those points. Alas, writer's block and video games. Also, as I write this, Thanksgiving is just two days away. All of the family I consider 'immediate' lives in this house, and we never make that much of the day. A bit of good food here and there, but no big, boisterous gatherings.

Despite that, it's still a holiday, and I'm sure I'll be a bit slow on the draw for awhile leading up to and directly following it. Not much to say other than that. So I hope all my fellow North American readers had a good Thanksgiving (as this is sure to go up sometime AFTER said holiday) and are preparing for a good (and tasty!) Xmas season!

Next chapter, we jump ahead just a little bit... and Halloween rolls around at Hogwarts...