Lauren Davies and the Glydan Pipe

Kauma

The east outdoor stone walkway smelled of crisp autumn air and petrichor. A stiff breeze blew through the window frame and Lauren shivered as she pulled her robes tighter against her body. Although it was midday, the looming overcast sky considerably darkened the courtyard and students were scurrying to their afternoon lessons, trying to avoid the soft drizzle.

She shuddered as she stepped into a shallow puddle and splashed droplets of water on the bare skin between the top of her sock and the hem of her skirt. She quickened her pace and threw open the large double doors that led to the dungeons. Although potions was her best subject, trekking down to the depths of the castle on cold rainy days made her want to skip the lesson altogether. The sound of her feet smacking the stone steps echoed through the staircase and she placed a hand on the cold wall in an attempt to balance herself. Her bag felt heavy on her shoulders and she yawned in exhaustion. The prank from the previous week had thrown off her circadian rhythms so much, she felt like she would never get back the two hours of sleep that had been stolen from her.

Just as she rounded the corner of the long corridor leading into the potions classroom, she heard voices wafting from underneath an abandoned store room. Professor Snape was incredibly particular about where he stored his ingredients and due to an infiltration of dust nibblers in her second year, Snape had relocated his private stores to another undisclosed location. As far as she knew, the dust nibblers were still wreaking havoc and this store room was completely abandoned. However, as she lingered outside the wooden door, the whispers became clearer and Lauren realized the room was not as abandoned as she had previously thought.

The hands on her wrist watch hit two p.m. and Lauren forced herself to turn away from the door. Professor Snape would stare daggers into her if she was even the slightest bit late, and that was if he was in a good mood. A bad mood would mean losing points for her house, or even detention. Chills went up her spine as she recalled her last detention. She had been tasked with wiping down shelves and equipment in the potions room for three hours without magic. Her schedule was even busier now than it was then and she knew she couldn't afford losing another afternoon to polishing useless artifacts.

She squeezed through the door of the classroom, letting out a breath as she realized professor Snape's back was turned to the class as he wrote instructions down on the chalkboard. Tess waved at her from the center of the room and Lauren quickly rushed over to sit next to her friend.

"What held you up? I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make it in time," Tess said quietly as her leg bounced wildly under the table. Potions put Tess on edge and Lauren felt bad she hadn't been there sooner to calm her friend's nerves before class. She was about to apologize when she heard the door creak open and saw Claire and Erin slip through before scurrying to their shared work table. Tess's eyes widened in fear, but either professor Snape hadn't heard the noise, or he just chose to ignore it.

Lauren glanced back at the two and noticed that Erin seemed very relaxed. Her face was flushed, which contrasted greatly from her normal pale skin, which was made even more translucent when sitting in potions, or whenever a professor called on her in class. Next to her, Claire was shaking out her robes and Lauren watched as small Borage leaves fell to the floor, accumulating into a tiny pile next to her left foot. Her features crinkled in confusion as she tried to recall what Borage leaves were used for. While Borage wasn't a particularly rare species, it didn't have many uses and they seldom needed it in class. Lauren nudged Tess with her elbow, hoping she would have more knowledge on the plant.

Snape had started class and was instructing them on the proper technique to cut valerian root, so talking was a detention sentence. Tess clearly knew this and clenched her jaw. Without so much as moving her lips or blinking an eye she muttered, "What?"