Love Potion

A Long Night

I was lost, or stuck, in my thoughts that two dreaded hours rolled by, and I heard the grave chime of ten o'clock followed by the terrible, metallic grating of the nightwatchers coming to life... 

Nobody had found me. It was past curfew and I was alone and left for the nightwatchers to catch.

It was all I could do to hold my breath and be still as suits of armour clankered past, sending gaunt shadows over my nook. Now, at least, I was too anxious to cry.

But then, at something like midnight, hope in the form of high-heeled footsteps arrived. I had been sat on that blasted step for hours and when I jumped up to cry for help, my poor cramped legs buckled under me and I fell to bash my chin. Argh!

Rubbing my chin and laying on my belly, I craned my neck to glance around the corner, to see the owner of the footsteps. Right now, I would even be thankful for Master Spigte...

But I couldn't believe my luck! 

It was Fae!

She was stood a way down the corridor, with her feathery mullet and chipped nails and trenchcoat and heels (and probably nothing else), glancing this ways and that ways to slink past undetected.

I was about to hiss and frantically wave at her, but bit my tongue when I noticed something strange.

A door. A black door, set into the middle of the wall, a way down the corridor. It was the exact same door that was inside of Killian Viper's room. Was it coincidence? Where they connected? Why hadn't I noticed it before?

Then there was the distant clanking of a Nightwalker, and Fae flipped to check bothaways, then went to sidle off again. It was once she was right in front of my niche that I took my chance and sissed very loudly: "Pssst!" Fae jolted. She whipped her head alarmedly around to see where the sound had come from. "Fae!"

"Fishsticks, what now?" she hissed. She squinted into the shadowy crevice where I was crumpled.

"Faeee..." I whined. "It's me, Cosmo! Come help me, I'm in a right shitpick!"

"Cosmo?!" she said incredulously. She tiptoed into the dark stairway and almost trod on my face. "Shnikes, sorry!" She whipped out her wand, muttered "lux!" and a soft pink glow radiated from it. I winced in the unwelcoming light. "Flying saucepans, Cosmo!" she gasped. "You look like blunk!"

"Thanks, I feel splendid," I grunted. I gestured to my foot, sunken into the stone floor. "Some crapfaced ass pulled a prank on me. Enchanted the floor and made me step right into it, and I have no idea how to get out. I've been here for hours."

"Ah, this old trick," Fae said carelessly. "I've seen this prank loads of times before. It's annoying, but all it takes is a softening spell. Super easy." She prodded the stone with her wand, not even having to say the spell, and I pulled my foot right out of it like it was porridge. Then the floor settled, and when she prodded it, and it was hard stone. "Ta-da."

Fae's carefree demeanour at the prank after I had been stuck there for something like four hours really ticked me off. I thought running into her of all people was a strike of luck, but right then, I felt like biting her stupid pretty nose.

"Great," I said gruffly. "Thanks. Bye." Then I brushed right past her and stomped crabbily down the corridor.

Not taking the hint, or perhaps not caring, she click-clacked up to me and teased, "awww, come on, don't sulk... I'm sorry you were stuck there for hours..."

"I'm not sulking!" I barked, sulking. "I'm just tired. I need to get back to the commonroom."

"If you say so." She continued to walk along beside me. I sped up a bit, but she just effortlessly strutted on her long legs.