SLITHER IN! → S. MALFOY

ACT III, SCENE II: FORGET ME

C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y - T W O

THE DAY OF MALFOY'S CONFESSION

OR  THE MORNING AFTER SETH'S DEATH

             ROSE AWOKE WITH A feeling of slight nausea. She had nothing to attribute to except for the fact that she hadn't been out of bed since yesterday. Now, however, her head and body ached as if she'd just ran a marathon and then attempted to pass the test muggles took to get into the military. She remembered what Mr. Potter had told her about muggle wars and armies when she'd been a child, - even then, it seemed to her a mad idea. The ability to destroy a nation and not having yet done so.

        Groaning, she attempted to get out of bed. Outside, the white sky blended in with the white landscape, and only the Forbidden Forest stood like a gaping wound at the edge of the horizon, staring at her with enchanted woods and hidden creatures that bit you and disappeared into thin air.

        Rose felt the sudden urge to see it closer; experience the sting of the creature's teeth as they sunk deeply into her flesh, however, the urge left as quickly as it dawned upon her.

        The witch's feet touched the chilled carpet of the dormitory, and she shivered. Her gaze drifted off towards the direction of Joelle Parkinson's bed, in which the latter lay, her blonde hair scattered over the pillow like a halo.

Just as Rose was about to get up fully, she felt something underneath her feet. Looking down, she picked it up quickly, and her fingers caressed the beautiful silk of an emerald-tinted ribbon. Her gaze drifted back up to Joelle.

           "Elle," she called, a harsh whisper, as the girl stirred towards Rose. "Elle, wake up. Breakfast's soon. Hey, Joe," she said louder, "Get up!"

Parkinson croaked something abstruse.

       "I found your ribbon on the floor," Rose stated. Joelle opened one eye.

"What?"

       "I found your ribbon on the floor."

"I mean, what ribbon?"

         "This one!" Rose pinched the green silk between her fingers so that Parkinson could see it better. "The green one. Your mom sends you green stuff all the time."

        "Not green ribbons," Joelle muttered frustratedly, "she knows I only wear headbands." She hid her dark circles in the feathers of her pillow.

      "You're going to miss breakfast."

         "Oh, says you." Came the muffled reply. Rose scoffed and threw the strange ribbon back onto the floor, shrugging it off. It had to be Joelle's.

        The Great Hall was unnaturally quiet once the witch had entered for breakfast. The scent of freshly baked croissants and coffee was overpowered by a pressing sense of the awaiting of something almost melancholic. Something catastrophous.

She wriggled in in-between Albus and John, both of which had somber expressions marring their faces like stone masks.

          "Morning," Rose chirped, to which Albus managed a weak smile, and John - a nod. "Why am I feeling like I've made a big mistake coming into breakfast so late?"

"Well-" John began, but Albus cut him off.

         "Seth's been found dead floating in the Great Lake this morning," He divulged after a slight pause. "Your Seth Reznor, Rose."