Edge of Reality // Oliver Wood

✧˖* 9 *˖✧

I groan loudly at the noise coming from the busy common room on the other side of my door. Why is everyone up so early? I turn around angrily and pull my pillow over my head, trying anything to drown out the hellish sounds of people laughing.

It doesn't work.

After a couple of minutes, I sit upright. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and stare ahead of me for a bit, trying to wake up. The nausea is starting to set in, and I can already feel the throbbing headache in the back of my head. I need Hannah's anti-hangover potion and I need it now. When my eyes scan her bed, I notice that she isn't here. Is she already up and out starting her day?

I get up, almost stumbling over my heels messily splayed out on the hardwood floor. Our dormitory is a complete mess. I spot my ruby dress in the left corner, completely crumpled up on the floor. All of my jewellery lays messily on top of my nightstand. Eleanor's heels are next to the door leading to all of the noise, so I quickly turn around to find my second roommate fast asleep, still in her ball gown from last night. The beautiful makeup she was wearing yesterday is now a black, smudgy mess on her face. I laugh internally at the sight, but the nausea comes back not a second later. Focus on finding Hannah, Lizzie.

After a hot shower, I make my way to the Great Hall to hopefully eat something. If I can hold it down that is. A hot shower usually helps, but this time, it didn't do much. At least I don't smell as awful as I did this morning.

I spot some of my friends at the far table and I visibly shrink when I don't spot Hannah sitting among them. As I walk by the rows of people-filled tables, my gaze momentarily lands on Oliver. I can't remember what happened last night. I know I drank a lot of firewhisky, but I honestly had no idea you could get so drunk from it that you completely black out. I thought that just didn't happen in the Wizarding World. I can recall him joining us for a couple of drinks, and some flashes of us dancing together shoot into my mind as well. But beyond that, it's completely blank.

               "Hey Liz," Nova says when I sit down across from her. My head drops in my hands as a response and once again, I let out a frustrated groan. "A little hungover, I'm guessing?" She laughs. Her eyes shine bright and I can tell that she's the happiest she's been in a long time.

               "Please tell me you have a hangover potion," I ask with pleading eyes.

               She shakes her head, "Sorry. I used the last of Draco's potion and Hannah isn't here yet." Nova leans over the table, putting her hand to her mouth to whisper something to me, "She's still in the Gryffindor dorms."

               "She's what?!" I yell excitedly, for a second forgetting that loud noises are like stabbing a knife in my brain. Nova giggles, about to say something more when Fred interrupts us.

               "Have you seen George? I've been looking for him since last night." Fred looks different than normal. For one, he looks incredibly uneasy. His eyes are constantly shooting around the big dining hall, hoping to spot his other half in the crowd.

I shake my head at him and he nods as he stands up. "Guess I have one place left where I can look. To the Ravenclaw dormitories, it is!" Fred bides us both goodbye and starts for the exit. Twins, I think, can't go anywhere without each other.

I turn back to a chipper Nova, "So, I saw you and Draco made up?"

Nova's eyes start to shimmer at the sheer mention of her boyfriend's name, "We did. We talked it through thoroughly and he apologised for the way he acted. I made it clear to him that we can and have to do better than this, and he agreed to pay more attention to me and my feelings."