The Oracle's Wake - Harry Potter

Chapter 9

It has been at least five or six days since the meeting at Hog's Head, and Laken had not heard any further reports about it, not a single one that she knew of. As she looked down at the open book on her lap, her eyes grew increasingly dry. No, she couldn't allow herself to fall asleep again, not if she wanted to see herself getting injected lethal venom from a snake before it unhinged its massive jaws and swallowed its prey whole, as her unfortunate soul disappeared into the darkness. It had been at least two and a half days since she had last slept; she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.

Laken closed the book, 'The Metamorphosis', which she had found quite intriguing. The first few pages of Gregor's struggle to adapt to his new insect form, and his attempts to communicate with his family as he crawled along the walls, had resonated with her.

As soon as the bell rang, Laken quickly made her way out, eager to leave the stiff confines of Professor Sprout's greenhouse.Walking alongside her was Ginny, who she met right after she stepped out.

"Detention with Snape?" Ginny's expression was one of sympathy as she asked, thinking about the dread that came with the prospect of seeing detention under Snape's stern gaze. "I can't imagine dealing with him right after class. Honestly, I'd rather skip if i were you."

Laken chuckled "Detention. . . .yes. . . ." she mused to herself, her hands instinctively reaching into the pockets of her robes. "I'd love to, but I don't fancy getting another detention on top of this one". She wasn't so sure about what exactly she was to learn, not when there were two open options she couldn't choose. "Besides, I'm kind of curious about what I'm doing" she replied.

Ginny gave her a sideways glance. "Curious? You're braver than I am. I'd be terrified he'd make me scrub cauldrons or something equally awful."

They reached a point where their paths diverged. Laken turned to Ginny with a small smile. "You heading upstairs?".

Ginny nodded "Yeah, I heard Harry saying something about finding a place to Katie," she said quite uncertainly, "Hard to hear since he had a massive sausage in his mouth, I'll let you know if something comes up"

Laken was somewhat interested, yet she didn't want to be late to her meeting. "Let me know when you can, I'll try to be over with quickly."

"Enjoy if you can," Ginny called out with a grin. "Maybe he'll teach you how to scowl properly."

Laken smiled before she parted away downstairs. Her footsteps echoed with a hallow ring as she descended the stairs, the oppressive gloom of the corridors seemed to darken more, and the dull lighting cast deep shadows that added to the overall sense of darkness. As she neared Snape's classroom, the door stood slightly ajar, allowing the low rumble of voices to drift out into the hallway. Laken slowed her pace, her curiosity piqued as she recognized one of speakers.

"What nonsense are you prattling about?" Snape's stern, clipped tones cut through the silence.

"The other day, when you said you know more about her, more than herself," the other voice, somewhat familiar but hushed replied. "You meant her past, didn't you?" The speaker pressed on, undeterred by Snape's obvious annoyance.
Laken edged closer, her eyes widening as she was drawn to the two figures standing within the dimly lit classroom. Snape, his robes billowing around him, turned away, a jar containing a spider clutched in his hand. And Bonny, who seemed quite eager as he stood further behind him. So, he heard everything Laken and Harry spoke?.

Snape turned sharply as he moved to place the jar containing the spider on a nearby shelf with a resounding thud."The girl's abilities don't really concern me, unless they start causing problems with the work I have to do here." Snape replied, his voice low and clipped, the underlying current of irritation evident. "If you've got some specific worry, you should probably take it up with the Headmaster. I have no time for this sort of baseless speculation."