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| Virtual Hogwarts .net > The North Tower > A Quiet Place |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 21 2003, 10:43 PM |
| After a hard day in classes as well as in the Duelling Chamber, Sariss needed a quiet place and found that maybe North Tower would be that place. She had thought about going into the Trophy Room first, but now that the Quidditch season was in full swing, people tended to stop by in there and goggle at the cup, saying to each other something along the lines of "This year, it will go to (insert the respective house here)." Therefore, Sariss had opted for North Tower. The air was cold but fresh out there on the platform and she sat down against the wall, pulling out a book, parchment and a quill to do some homework up there despite the cold. Dinner would be soon and she'd see Seb there. Indeed, they saw each other not exactly often. The teachers were piling homework upon them, demanding some extra effort now that the end of term was near. Combined with all the things that needed to be done under normal circumstances, everyone was very busy. In addition to that, the Christmas spirit was spreading throughout the castle. The students all felt very Christmas-y, whereas the teachers actually seemed to ignore it and give them additional homework for a-few-days-early Christmas presents. Sariss sucked on the end of her sugar quill and scribbled her name on the parchment, followed by her house. Then she began to write, wondering where Seb might be... |
| Posted by: Seb_Darwin Oct 21 2003, 11:24 PM |
| Great Hall. That’s all he wanted. He had stepped out of the Common Room into the dungeons while reading his comic. Straight forward, up the stairs, around to the left from the statue of Edgor the Goof, through the tapestry, through a door and where was he? Nowhere near Great Hall, that was a fact. Seb closed his comic and looked around. The coridoor looked familiar and he got a strange sense of panic overcome him. Looking behind him Sebs fears were confirmed. He had managed to wander into that coridoor. “Aw cra.. aahhh-haaa!” Seb rolled the comic up in his hands and walked to the door right at the very end, the one with the door handle in the middle. He knew it would either lead him back to the Common Room entrance, the North Tower or, so he hoped, another part of the Castle he knew. Reaching out to the handle, Seb pushed it down breaking up some cobwebs as he went and opened the door. It wasn’t the Common Room, but the person he could see from it was very familiar. Stepping through, he shut the door behind him. “Uh, Sariss?” Please don’t be an alternate school…. "You'll never guess how I got here... Oh, are you busy? I can go..." |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 21 2003, 11:38 PM |
| Sariss scribbled along merrily, the assignment coming along exceptionally well. In fact, it was already so long that she could end it any time that she saw fit. She even forgot that her hands were icy from the cold. Fortunately, as she was sitting there in the corner, she was protected from the wind. "Uh, Sariss?" came Seb's voice all of sudden. Sariss looked up. He couldn't have come through the doorway that she herself had used, could he? "You'll never guess how I got here... Oh, are you busy? I can go..." "Oh! No no no! Don't leave!" she said quickly, scrambling to her feet, the sugar quill that she'd been sucking on, half-finished and still in her hand. "In fact, I'm as good as done with this essay anyway..." She noticed that she was on the verge of babbling again and quickly stopped talking and for a moment busied herself with the sugar quill. Those things were really yummy and inspiring. "So, how did you get up here then? Didn't notice you come through that door. How odd indeed." She sucked on her sugar quill some more. Strangely, she'd been having more sugar quills than chocolate recently. |
| Posted by: Seb_Darwin Oct 21 2003, 11:57 PM |
| “That … weird passageway we found a while back. You know, the one from the, er Common Room.” He began to bite his nails which he only did when he became intensely nervous. That was the weird thing, only Sariss was in the place, so why had he suddenly got a bout of the nerves? He took a step away from the wall behind him and sniffled a bit. “So this is where you come to hide when you’re not in the duelling chamber?” Seb took a look around then looked back at Sariss. “How are you, by the way? I mean… you know, Quidditch, bludger.. wham.. and stuff. You took a nasty hit, eh? And I didn’t ask when the, er, game ended.” Seb pulled his cloak tighter around him, crossing his arms inside them afterwards to try keep them in place. The North Tower wasn’t exactly the warmest place to study, so Seb wondered why Sariss felt like she had to escape here. Though, saying that… The dungeons weren’t much warmer. Licking his lips, Seb waited for Sariss to speak. |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 22 2003, 12:30 AM |
| Oh, that passageway... the one with the cobweb infested door. Well, it had only been covered in cobwebs when you wanted to... yes... when you opened it and saw North Tower. Sariss nodded, indicating that she knew what Seb was talking about. And he looked nervous now. And he was sniffling again. Darn cold that he had caught. He shouldn't be outside. “So this is where you come to hide when you’re not in the duelling chamber? How are you, by the way? I mean… you know, Quidditch, bludger.. wham.. and stuff. You took a nasty hit, eh? And I didn’t ask when the, er, game ended.” Sariss grimaced. "Yes, nasty hit. My arm is positively purple. And where the second bludger hit me... It looks nasty. Feels like it too sometimes..." She looked up at Seb. He looked as though he were about to send her to the Hospital Wing. "I won't go to Pomfrey, Seb. If I want to be a decent Chaser, I have to be capable of taking such hits. Besides... unless I accidentally touch the sore spots or am touched, it hardly hurts." She gave a small smile and ran her knuckles over his cheek. He looked always so nervous and worried. Well, not always... just... recently. "I'm not exactly hiding though," she said, remembering that she'd skipped that question entirely. "Usually, I like the Trophy Room quite a lot... but... well... with Quidditch season and all, it's the place to be at the moment. The Common Room was out of the question anyway. They're all going mad about Christmas preparations or so it seems... And as I don't mind the cold..." she indicated her thick cloak and scarf, "and people don't come up here in the cold, I thought 'why not?'" She shrugged, forgetting that her ribs were aching when she did so, and therefore grimaced slightly. It was odd. When she had scrambled to her feet earlier, she hadn't felt a thing, but shrugging hurt like hell. "And what led you so far into the dungeons that you found that door again?" she asked. |
| Posted by: Seb_Darwin Oct 22 2003, 01:02 AM |
| Seb frowned when Sariss winced. He had a feeling she was just as stubborn as he. "And what led you so far into the dungeons that you found that door again?" she then asked him. It was Seb’s turn to shrug. Thankfully for him, he had never been hit by a bludger. Apart from that one in Quidditch Practice with Woods and apparently that was a ‘nice’ bludger. He shuddered to think of how badly Sariss was hurt. “…Was just going to the Great Hall when it happened again.” He told her, “I was reading me comic and I guess I wasn’t looking where I was heading.” He brought out his muggle comic which he was holding in his crossed arms. “My own fault obviously, though I don’t see how I ended up here. I swear, I took all the right turns.” Just recently his mind hasn’t been on the right things. He can’t concentrate on his homework. That much wasn’t a shock much, but when he couldn’t keep his mind on Quidditch, forget to put fresh food out for Tua and Tara and not have pineapple for two days, it was very out of character for him. Seb thought for a moment, “And anyway, not going to Madam P to get healed up doesn’t make you any less a chaser! That’s why she is there. To heal.” He realised he was sounding hypocritical as he wouldn’t go himself, but Sariss was more important. “How are you expecting to duel like that? And ‘capable of taking such hits’, I ask you! No one is supposed to get used to being hit by a bludger or two! You’re a brilliant chaser; going to the hospital wing won’t make you any less talented.” He shrugged once more. He had his say so if she never went, he wouldn’t blame himself for not even trying. Seb cleared his throat before nodding towards the homework Sariss had been writing on before he interrupted. “So, what you writing? Christmas list to send home?” Stupid season. They’ll be spending it with the stupid baby, sending me a stupid present while my gran is stupidly dead. |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 22 2003, 01:19 AM |
| Oh, that was too much praise! Sariss felt herself blush slightly. Sure, when she had snatched the Quaffle from Caitlyn Wagers, that had been not bad at all. But in fact, it had only been a very quick reflex. Sariss had just reached out and all of sudden held it in her hands. She vigorously shook her head. She wouldn't go to the Hospital Wing. Not today. It was not as nasty as it looked, she was sure... well... she hoped it wasn't. And Seb always refused to go to the Hospital Wing too, so he wasn't really the one to talk about going to Madam Pomfrey. Sariss would be okay. Besides, she didn't have much trouble with duelling. The practice was paying off. She hardly moved during a duel. The only movements that she made, were mostly the ones she did with her wrist, simply for the purpose of creating a spell. “So, what you writing? Christmas list to send home?” Seb indicated the parchment that had rolled itself up after she had left it lying there. She once more shook her head. "No, just your ordinary essay." When she noticed that she was about to raise her shoulders to shrug, she froze and slowly tried to relax again. That had been close. "I'm... well... it's as good as finished too. Maybe I'll add a sentence or two later... for good measure, you know. But I think it's safe to say that Sariss Electra Ravon is up to date with her homework." She gave a little smile and took a deep breath. Having unfinished business was always a burden to her. "Oh!" She remembered something. "Seb, do you have your Divination results yet?" she asked and rummaged around in her bag. "I got them before I went up here... But I didn't want to look into the envelope until we all got the results..." |
| Posted by: Seb_Darwin Oct 22 2003, 01:42 AM |
| Sariss shuck her head. It seemed there was no way she would head to the Hospital Wing. Maybe if he proposed that he go there to get his cold sorted if she would get her bludger pains sorted? "Divination results?" Seb repeated as he saw Sariss pull out an envelope. He thought for a moment before pulling out a similar envelope. "Do you think these might be it? There is no Hogwarts crest or anything... I, er, thought it was post of the parental units." He began to glare at the envelope. "You know, the 'We wish that you stay at the School over the Christmas holidays'." He sniffled as he looked over the envelope. "It'll be one or the other. Not too sure if I even want to open it..." Seb looked down at the scrolls of homework. A fresh wave of panic washed over him as he remembered he had a piece of homework to do. He really had to get himself sorted out. He sniffled once more and tried to swallow. Painful. He just knew he would be losing his voice soon. "Well then, lets open our envelopes!" He exclaimed as he began to tear off the top. 74- 80% Seb half expected. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he never got top grade. "HUH?! This.. heh.. HUH?!" He looked at his paper once more in amazement. |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 22 2003, 02:06 AM |
| "Well then, lets open our envelopes!" Seb said. He sounded a bit enthusiastic even though his brows were furrowed in a frown. Sariss got up, holding her letter in her hand too. She opened it at the same time that Seb opened his. "HUH?! This.. heh.. HUH?!" Seb goggled at his results, eyes wide. "What is it?" Sariss asked excitedly, not even having unfolded her piece of parchment yet. Somehow she knew that it would read that she'd done very well. It was almost always like that. Well, if you didn't count Potions lessons, she was an excellent student. Even though she had liked Potions lessons the previous year, they seemed to be not really her cup of tea this year. Seb's grades were more important. Sariss knew that he was always worried about them and hoped that he had done well, so he wouldn't feel bad when he saw her... she checked quickly... a glance was enough... yes... 100%... as was to be expected. Nobody was surprised anymore when she did well. Well, Seb didn't look unhappy about the results... just surprised. "You passed with flying colours, didn't you?" she half-asked, knowing that Seb was one of the best students in his year in this subject--and in others too, even though he didn't think so himself. |
| Posted by: Seb_Darwin Oct 22 2003, 02:25 AM |
| "Flying colours?!" He read his piece of parchment once more and read it out. "'Sebastian Darwin - 100% - O / Outstanding' Can you believe that?! I got an O!" If he wasn't feeling ill he would be doing his dance about now. "And you got 100% too, didn't you?" Seb then asked Sariss who was looking at her own piece of paper. "I mean, it comes without question, really!" It was true, Sariss was brilliant at school and no matter what, and Seb was proud of that. And she didn't mind helping him and others out when they had problems too. It took a strong, nice, kind person not to take that opportunity to shove their knowledge in the others face and brag about it. His nose was beginning to become sore now. "That's it," He eventually muttered, "We're going to go to the Hospital Wing shortly. Must get rid of cold. You must get rid of pain." |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 22 2003, 06:32 PM |
| Sariss grinned madly. This was the best that could happen! Both of them having the very same (and excellent too!) grades. Seb wouldn't feel bad; Sariss wouldn't feel bad for him either. It was perfect. "Yes," she said, still smiling and moving to hug him. She never got that far. With a grimace and wincing, she lowered her arms again. This hadn't been such a clever idea. Seb had noticed it too. "That's it," he said in a voice that indicated that he was really worried about her and would rather she comply. "We're going to go to the Hospital Wing shortly. Must get rid of cold. You must get rid of pain." Sariss smile wavered a bit. But if that was what it took... After all, it would make Seb accept Madam Pomfrey's Pepper-Up Potion; and she'd surely be able to bear a few taps of a wand and a gulp of Skele-Gro even. She wasn't sure if that rib was broken, just a bit cracked or merely a bit sore. Well, I guess he has a point though. Earlier today in the chamber, it didn't feel particularly nice when I raised my wand. Sariss sighed. "Oh well... For as long as you get rid of your cold, I'll get rid of the souvenirs that the Bludgers gave me..." she trailed off and reached to pick up her things. She stuffed the scroll of parchment into her bag after she had placed the book in there too. The ink bottle was put into one of the smaller pockets that the bag had. Sariss sucked on her sugar quill one last time and put it away too. When she swung her bag over her shoulder then, she noticed one more that she'd forgotten about her little injuries and winced again. |
| Posted by: Seb_Darwin Oct 22 2003, 10:41 PM |
| “I don’t think so.” Seb said in an almost scolding tone as Sariss winced once more, putting her bag on her shoulder. He raised one eyebrow as he leant forward and took the bag off her. “I think I’ll carry this, thank you very much.” Seb then sighed as he placed it on his own shoulder. The last thing he wanted was for Sariss to suffer even more. She was lucky she could even walk back down to the Hospital Wing, never mind carry her bag. He knew for a fact, before he even took it off her that it would jam packed with books, scrolls of parchment and stuff. It was a wonder Sariss never had a bad back and aching joints without a double bludger attack. So Sariss was a proud person, but next time they went to class together he would just have to insist he carry some books. Even if it did make him look like a besotted boy who would do anything for his girl. But you already are like that, ‘Brain’ said somewhere in the back of his mind as they began to walk to the door to leave. His heart began to beat a little faster and his mouth became dry at the thought of going into the Hospital Wing. Yeah, it wasn’t a whole hospital, with numerous floors and even more sick dying people, (he shuddered at the thought) but it had the same sick atmosphere, and that horrible smell. “After you,” Seb muttered as he held the door open for Sariss. That was a thought! Send her in first, she could get fixed up then Seb could make a run for it. He would have to try that... |
| Posted by: Sariss Oct 22 2003, 10:53 PM |
| “I think I’ll carry this, thank you very much,” Seb said a bit scoldingly, took Sariss's bag off her and swung it over his own shoulder before Sariss could make a quick move to keep him from doing so. Not like she could make any quick moves anyway. "But..." Yes, indeed. But I don't want you to carry my things. I have to manage on my own... Oh shut up about it. He's trying to help and he's rather successful too! So appreciate it at least, silly girl really... Sariss gave him a weak smile. She knew her bookbag was always very heavy, but that was just because there was so much to read, so much to learn for her. She had this great opportunity to learn all about magic at Hogwarts, supposedly the best wizarding school in the world, and she would not miss out on anything during her stay here. Not for as long as she still breathed. “After you,” Seb mumbled and held the door open for Sariss. It was the normal door. The one that Seb must have gone through when he'd arrived had mysteriously disappeared or was probably not even visible from this side of it. Sariss sighed and breathed a "Thank you." They'd be going to be Hospital Wing, not really the most cheerful place in the castle. She only hoped that her ribs weren't broken. Skele-Gro was a nasty business. She knew it but from hearsay only. The door fell shut behind them and they were on their way. |