ALLURING || D.M.

Chapter 24

Fire danced harmoniously in the hearth, not aware of anything around it. Must be blissful to only dance with the wind utterly indifferent to the tension simmering in the room around it. For Lilianne it was exasperating to watch each flicker of orange yet greenish light simmer around. She had walked back to the common room a good while back, almost two hours had gone by and still there was no news of what happened.

Whether they had punished those outside was still a mystery, also unanswered was what the hell happened after she left. Because curled up on the velvet sofa there was sensible tension there, yet no Slytherin dared comment anything. Whom she asked, gave her a half answer, and just to her luck her friends had chosen the most inconvenient time to vanish.

At least she had Corine by her side as they quietly read, or pretended to. Legs folded beneath them as eyes flickered wondering, truthfully Lestrange just wanted to know what happened that had everyone so anxious yet so silent. Excelfan was also in the depths of her mind, never minding they had not changed a page for ten minutes.

Even lost in their thoughts, the heavy thud of boots that sounded out in the common room had everyone looking up. Both girls sprinting to their feet as the wall morphed, making way for the angry-looking Inquisitorial squad. What happened to them? Now she wanted to know more than ever. Crabbe, Goyle stumbled through first, Theodore right behind them, looking sick, actually sick. Their complexion greenish as they leaned on those around them to walk.

Pansy had something slimy and orange dripping from her short hair and shirt. She was not green, she was red in anger and disgust. Some older boys she did not very well recognise, just looked like they had been running around the entire castle, flushed, dishevelled, tired and mad. Also clutching their stomachs as if they'd eaten right after working out.

Draco walked in, though he was not just mad. He looked enraged, you could see it in the cold harshness his eyes held. "Move!" Pucey yelled, people flinching around him. The boy headed straight for the boys' dorms. His path completely clear as students chose not to upset him even more. Goyle, supported by some other squad members, to be placed on a couch, the boy held his stomach in pain. Lilianne stood frozen, did not know what to ask without bothering someone or worse, having them jump at her for being insensitive.

"Get the fuck out of my way Crabbe" Was heard, the girl quickly turning around to see Draco holding Crabbe by the collar to push him aside with force. The sick chubby boy losing balance, only to fall and push his hands desperately to his mouth, gagging. That was a stomach infection, she was sure, but what caused it was a mystery.

"You dare vomit on me again, you will not live to see another day, you hear me?" Malfoy yelled, not an ounce of empathy for the boy who was looking worse by the second. He just rolled his eyes as he left for his dorm, not a single soul so brave to step in his way either.

Lilianne was determined to follow him, taking the first steps towards where he went when loud vomiting and gagging sounds filled the room. The room had become a scene out of some grotesque hospital ward holding the infected in quarantine. Corine had her face scrunched up as she tried to give some water to a boy.

Excelfan had never really interacted with such things, she hated frogs just because they were slimy. But she could not just stand there to watch everyone around her fold in pain. Which reminded Lilianne she also did not want to do that, better yet, she had the means to help. "Go get cloths and dip them in water" She said towards Corine while eyeing how she was now placing a bucket close to a brunette boy next to Theodore, who was sweating cold with his hand on his stomach.

Lilianne's fingers twitched at her side. Her gaze drifted toward the steps Draco had disappeared into, a silent war playing out in her head. She had to help first, do something to help. So she sighed, thinking to herself it was best to let Draco calm down a little before going to him. Something inside told her to go anyway but the most empathetic won. Without a word, Lestrange rushed to her dorm, she had nausea-relief oil in her emergency supplies she was willing to give her friends.