Brontide

Chapter Five

This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, which I now realize was over 4000 words.  :I
Let me know what you guys think so far!

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Sturgis Podmore, a longtime member of the Order, was sentenced to six months in Azkaban prison, according to the Daily Prophet that came Friday morning. It said he'd been caught trying to break into a secured door in the Ministry of Magic on the thirty-first of August, which baffled me. I smelled an Imperius Curse; it would be a logical explanation. I tossed aside the paper, thankful that I only had two classes that day. It gave me plenty of free time, which I valued very much.

On top of that, I woke up not feeling very well. Every few minutes I was sneezing, my head felt woozy and I felt like I had a boulder wedged in my throat. I rethought my plans of meeting with everyone later on because I'd be napping once we were done with Double Herbology. I felt like complete and utter shit.

Saturday I woke up feeling sicker than before. I threw back my covers, sweat causing my pajamas to cling to my body. It was far too hot for clothing, never mind sheets. I coughed a few times and grabbed the box of tissues Rae had put near my bedside, using about twenty of them in a failing attempt to properly breathe through my nose again.

I felt miserable and disgusting. I didn't even have the strength to go to the infirmary to see what Madam Pomfrey could do about this nonsense. I rolled around on my bed instead, pushing my hair out of my face and trying to get in a comfortable enough position to go back to sleep. I was happy that the room was empty, although I did wonder where Rae had gone off to. I sneezed once, twice, three times. More tissues were thrown about my bed and floor. They could stay there for all I cared; I hadn't wanted to spend the weekend on my deathbed.

Sitting up a little, I looked out the window. Of course, it had to be a beautiful day, not a single bloody cloud in the sky. Even the Giant Squid was having fun, letting the students tickle its tentacles and feed it. This made me feel even worse, if possible. I grumbled and threw the covers over my head, trying to focus on getting better.

When I woke up again, someone was in the bathroom using the shower. Rubbing my eyes and sniffling, I sat up and looked at the clock, which read 2:15 p.m. I couldn't believe I'd slept that late.

I hopped out of bed, sending a pile of tissues flying and causing me to grab onto the wooden bedpost, my legs feeling like jelly. I'd gotten up too quickly, my head still rather uneasy, but I was determined to get on with my day. It was too nice outside to be sick. It was then that the bathroom door opened, revealing Rae wrapped in a scarlet towel, her short brown hair dripping all over the floor as she hummed to herself. She stopped once she saw the state I was in, my face greatly resembling the color of parchment and my hair a knotted blonde mess.

"My God, Cassie," she muttered, walking over, careful to step over my army of discarded tissues. She held onto my arm, clutching the top of her towel with her free hand, and directed me back to my bed. I collapsed onto it, groaning nasally.

"Once I get dressed, I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey," she said, searching frantically through her trunk for clean clothes. I grumbled some more.

"I don't want to go, I think I'm getting better," I said, sniffling. "I just want to take a bath."

"Here." She put a small pile of clothes on my bed: a pair of jeans, a grey tank top, and a dark purple sweater. "Change into those after your bath, I'll be down in the common room in a few minutes." With that she carried her own garments with her, retreating to the bathroom.

My bath took longer than it normally did, but that was partially because I didn't feel like getting out. The hot water felt like it was washing away all the sickness and the steam temporarily cleared up my sinuses. Putting on the clothes, I reluctantly made my way downstairs. Rae was waiting patiently in the near-empty common room, watching from a distance as the twins tested out their Puking Pastilles on some vulnerable First Years.