Chapter 204 - The Room of Requirements (1/2)
The day that the Halloween Feast was to be held luckily fell on a Friday. They all awoke to the fragrance of pumpkins and sweets in the air. All-day long students chattered in class as the Professor's finally gave up on getting them to do much of anything. Luckily, their last class was DADA, which was always a treat with Professor Pollen.
It was a rather enjoyable lesson as Professor Pollen had brought in a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.
”Don't let its innocent looks deceive you,” Professor Pollen warned them as they took notes. ”It lures travelers into bogs. You'll notice the lantern dangling from his hand? It hops ahead – people follow the light – and then –.” The hinkypunk makes a horrible squelching noise against the glass as if in response.
The bell suddenly rang causing a few Slytherins to flinch as everyone eagerly gathered their things and went out the door. As they made their way down to the dungeons, Severus unhappily says, ”I still need to finish that dastardly Divination tea reading. As if tea leaves could predict the future!”
”Really, I finished mine, ages ago,” Terry innocently remarked as Severus gave him a glare.
”You really should have taken Arithmancy with us, Severus,” Tiffany happily chimed in. ”Unlike hazard guessing numbers always read true.”
”I'm starting to see that now,” Severus griped as he glared at Terry, who had begged him to take the class with him. He really should have stuck with his original choice.
”You're looking a bit pale, Rowan, are you alright?” Bethanie said causing the rest of them to glance over at Rowan. Sure, enough Rowan seemed to be more pale than usual as her face looked rather wane.
”I'm not feeling very well,” Rowan confessed, which was not an entire lie. She had a painful cramp going on at the moment. But nothing that a nice douse of one of the potions in her trunk couldn't fix. ”I don't think I'll be going to the feast.”
”But it's the Halloween Feast! You'll miss all the candy and food!” Terry protested in horror.
Silvia jabbed Terry painfully in the ribs and said, ”Don't worry, we'll bring you something back.”
”Thanks,” Rowan gratefully said as they made their way into the common room area, before heading to the girl's dorms. She was the first one into the dorms and quickly grabbed a pain potion from her trunk and gulped it down in one gulp. Hurriedly closing back up her trunk, she climbed into bed and tried to look miserable, which wasn't a great feat at all.
Seeing Rowan curled up in bed, Bethanie says, ”I'll let the Prefect Pizarro know that you'll be staying behind.” Bethanie went back out as Tiffany says, ”I've got some sweets if you'd like some.”
”I'm fine, no thank you,” Rowan murmured.
Silvia mutters in sympathy, ”We girls always get the short end of the stick.” Rowan and Tiffany grunt in agreement as Tiffany begins to get ready as does Silvia. Not long after Bethanie returns with the tired looking Prefect Pizzaro who makes note of Rowan's condition, before rushing off onto some other task.
”Is it just me or does being a Prefect seem more like a form of cheap labor than an honor?” Rowan drily remarked out loud.