Lauren Davies and the Glydan Pipe

The Snake and the Lion

Lauren's head was full of warm sludge. Her eyes drooped and she propped her chin on the palm of her hand to avoid crashing into the porridge bowl sitting in front of her. She blinked heavily, watching the world flit from darkness to light.

Tess's head was resting on the table next to her, along with a plate and an empty mug that had already been refilled twice. Lauren reached for the coffee pot and began to pour some caffeine into Tess's cup, assuming she would want more when she woke.

The pot was heavy and her hand began to shake from the effort. She dropped it onto the table with a loud clang, startling Erin and Claire, who were silently staring into space.

"Merlin's beard!" Claire jumped and threw her hand over her heart.

"Sorry," Lauren said sheepishly before picking up a napkin and wiping down the split droplets.

"I can't believe she's still asleep," Erin commented in disbelief.

The girls stared at Tess, who continued to rest on the hard table, despite the noise of scraping silverware echoing around them.

"She can sleep through anything," Lauren said.

Claire yawned. "You can say that again."

Winter break had been a much needed reprieve from the events occurring in the wizarding world. Now that spring term was resuming, Lauren hadn't quite adjusted to her old sleep schedule, and if their matching dark circles were any inclination, Erin and Claire felt the same way.

She felt a little behind on all the latest gossip, as she rarely made an effort to keep up correspondence while she was at home in the muggle world. The only communication she'd had was a brief phone call from Tess on Christmas day, but she didn't have an owl of her own, so writing letters to her other friends proved to be tricky. For the most part, she felt completely in the dark.

Oliver was another variable in the equation she hadn't quite grasped yet. He wasn't anywhere to be found at dinner yesterday, and she hadn't heard from him at all since before break. She wanted to talk to him but had no idea what she'd say. Maybe something along the lines of: "Hey, Oliver, I know we haven't spoken in a month, and I don't know if you remember, but we danced together the night of the Yule Ball and I was just wondering if that meant anything to you? 'Cause guessing is kind of driving me crazy. If you could provide some clarity that would be much appreciated."

Even saying it to herself sounded stupid, so saying it to him was out of the question. She craned her neck to glance around the Great Hall in search of him, but couldn't spot him.

"Who are you looking for?" Claire asked with a smirk painted on her face.

Lauren rolled her eyes. Claire knew exactly who she was looking for.

Her eyes began to droop again and putting in the energy to keep up a conversation seemed torturous.

"How's Colin?" she asked, hoping it would give her a break from talking. Besides, she was curious to hear about what they'd gotten up to over the holidays.

Claire sighed dreamily. "He's so good. I only saw him once for New Years, but he wrote to me almost every day."

"So are you guys together now or...?" Erin asked, finally perking up a bit.

Claire frowned. "I don't know. He seems interested, but he saw Sophie a lot over the break because their families are friends." She paused and looked around before leaning her head in and motioning for Lauren and Erin to do the same.

"Now, this is top secret information. You can't tell anyone, understand?"

Lauren and Erin nodded eagerly before glancing over at Tess, who was still fast asleep.