Lauren Davies and the Glydan Pipe

The Conversation in the Courtyard

Lauren woke with a start early the next morning. She sat up aggressively and looked around the darkened room. Her eyes slowly adjusted, and she furiously swiveled her head to search for any possible threat. A fast thudding from her chest made the quiet room noisy. She took a few shaky breaths before slowly laying down once more. It certainly wasn't morning yet, but Lauren doubted she'd be able to fall asleep again. She stared up at the ceiling and focused on taking deep breaths.

Despite McGonagall's assurance that experts were on the case, Lauren was still on edge. She was itching to say something, but Erin was adamantly against the idea. She recalled their brief conversation from last night, hunched over the journal on Tess's bed.

I've sent an owl to warn Mom and Dad, but you have to keep quiet. If he finds out we said anything, he'll come after us. I'm sure they'll catch him soon. Until then, we need to lay low.

"Did you see what she wrote, Lauren?" Tess had said while shoving the book under her nose. "Don't say anything."

Although Lauren didn't completely understand the logic, she was smart enough to respect Erin's wishes. Speaking to McGonagall would only plant a target on their backs. After all, you never knew who could be listening in.

The thought of evil lurking around each corner was enough to send anyone into a fit of anxiety, but despite the threat, Lauren's mind was predominantly focused on the Yule Ball looming just two weeks away. It was a small, delightful torture. Every so often, she managed to lead her imagination away from bloody scenes of her friends on the floor, to a decorated Great Hall and Oliver leading her in on his arm. After a few fleeting moments, she'd remember Professor Oldstrum's reign of terror all over again, and her head would feel like exploding.

A pale grey light crept through the window, and Lauren's eyes grew heavy. Just as she finally allowed them to flutter closed, she felt Angelina aggressively shaking her shoulder.

"Get up, Davies. We've got practice in fifteen."

Lauren groaned and sat up slowly. A pounding in her temples reminded her that she'd barely slept, and although a few more hours of rest seemed tempting, Lauren's stomach was already in knots. The icy morning air would shock her system and hopefully diminish some of her fatigue. She rolled rather ungracefully out of bed and began pulling on a sweater and pants over her pajamas.

"Are you really not going to change?" Angelina asked, her nose crinkled. A huge yawn prevented Lauren from responding, so she just nodded. It was freezing, and pulling her warm clothes off to put cold ones on seemed ridiculous. She threw on a thick robe and grabbed her wand to shove into her boot, just in case.

Angelina's eyes followed her movements. "You alright, Davies?" she asked with a concerned look written all over her face. "You seem a bit on edge."

"Fine," Lauren responded through chattering teeth. "Are we good to go?" She didn't wait for a response and instead simply walked over to the door.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Angelina replied, following closely behind her before closing the door with a soft thud.

The pair clambered down the stairs and out of the common room before making their way across the quiet castle. Lauren didn't turn to speak with Angelina once. She knew she was being an absolute git, but a voice in the back of her mind kept whispering there are eyes and ears everywhere. By the time they'd reached the pitch, Angelina was practically running to keep step with her.

"Geez, Davies, if I'd known we were running, I would have warmed up first." Angelina huffed and bent over to catch her breath.

"Sorry," Lauren muttered before grabbing her broom from the rack and kicking off the ground without another word. She shot up slowly and glanced down at the cluster of red beneath her. The wind seeped into her core, freezing her insides despite the extra layers. She shivered and slowly leaned her body forward to rest her head on the end of the broom. The crowd below her quickly dispersed as the team flew to their respective positions for practice. She slowly blinked as she realized she'd missed the instruction and had no idea what was going on.