Fourth Year VIII.
Rhea was floating in the air on her broom, her body practically laying on it as she listened to Alicia speak about the Hufflepuff Seeker Cedric Diggory. Rhea was slowly falling asleep, her last night's visit to the library catching up to her. As well as the fact that her creepy experience with the running water and feeling of being followed, was still frightening her deeply when she closed her eyes. Honestly, she only managed to get a little shuteye a few minutes before she was woken up rudely by her dormmates. And Alicia dreaming about Diggory boy surely wasn't exciting enough to keep her awake or interested whatsoever.
The Hufflepuff Seeker sure was handsome. And he was quite cute and nice last time Rhea spoke to him. But that didn't mean she would be drooling over him right now. If she weren't so tired, sure, she might be glancing in that direction a few times through the game, but today she will be glad to not fall off her broom before the match even starts.
"Rhea, are you even listening to me?" Alicia asked, her foot gently kicking into the blonde's broom to shake with her a bit. Rhea quickly lifted her head looking over at Alicia, her eyes tired and threatening to close any second.
"What? Oh, sorry, I guess I zoned out on your talk about how perfect Diggory's hair is today. My bad." Rhea muttered the last part sarcastically, once again getting in her lying position.
"Mind you, his hair is perfect every day, but that wasn't even close to what I was saying." Alicia next to her frowned, shaking her head at how uninterested in her talking Rhea was. Angelina flew towards the girls, abruptly stopping between them. Giving both of them that stern look.
"What are you two doing? Oliver told us to fly warming laps. Not linger in the air and chit chat about stupid Pretty boy Diggory." Angelina snapped, feeling annoyed by her two friends. She was taking the matches seriously, and today they needed to win against Hufflepuff to ensure their win in the Quidditch Cup. It was of the most significance now. But to her Alicia and Rhea looked to be in a different universe. Especially Rhea who they had to practically drag out of bed this morning.
She didn't even lift her head from the broom that she was lying on. She just stayed in her position, staring straight down at the ground. If Angelina didn't know any better she would say that Rhea was fast asleep on her broom. But that had to be ridiculous, right?
"Just because something crawled up your ass today doesn't mean he is stupid." Alicia frowned, giving one last look in the direction of the Seeker of the opposite team before gripping onto her broom and flying away to do her laps.
Angelina looked satisfied for a second, looking at Alicia flying on her broom. But then she realised that there still was one more person that she was scolding earlier. She quickly moves her broom so she is now facing Rhea who hasn't moved an inch.
"You've got to be kidding me," Angelina muttered to herself, flying closer to the floating girl whose ponytail was covering her face so she couldn't see whether her eyes were open or not. Flying right next to the seemingly sleeping girl, Angelina leaned closer. "Wake up Black!" She yelled right into the blonde girl's ear. Effectively waking her up and getting her to her senses.
Angelina did a good thing by flying right next to her because as Rhea woke up to the world of the living and conscious people she lost her balance and almost fell from her broom. Of course, Angelina's quick senses allowed her to catch the girl and keep her sitting securely on the wooden handle. Rhea's face looked pale as if she were sick and her eyes had these dark almost black circles under them. She didn't look quite as bad in the morning when Alicia and Angelina hauled her out of the bed.
If today wouldn't be such an important match Angelina would be worried if Rhea isn't sick or something but since today was the day D in their Quidditch calendar, Rhea had no other option but to suck it up.
"You look terrible," Angelina snapped, looking Rhea over. Scanning through her features noticing nothing but a drained expression of the typically bubbly and energic girl.
"Thank you, you are ever so kind," Rhea murmured, taking in a deep breath to stabilize herself due to her head spinning. Her hands gripping tighter on the handle to keep her on the broom.
"I know I am rubbish at Divination but I see a painful experience in your future," Angelina warned her with a hard look. Rhea honestly looked like she would get from her broom just by someone flying by her. If Madame Pomfrey would see her now she would immediately pull her out of the match. Good thing that she is tending to the petrified students at the moment. Though, Angelina is sure they will be needing her quite soon if Rhea is going to be playing in this state.
Rhea groaned when she heard the shouting of Fred and George who were hyping one another with rather loud trash talk. Fred telling George how he is going to blast more bludgers than him and George just laughing and saying that everyone knows he is better than Fred. Their loud voices never bothering Rhea quite as much as they did now.
"You are late to the party, Trelawney already predicted it many times before," Rhea said to Angelina who was seriously considering stopping by Oliver to tell him to bench the blonde girl for today. She was in no condition to be playing. But before she could move an inch a voice of Professor McGonagall rang through the pitch. Gaining the attention of every player and every student on the stands.
"This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick. Angelina reached forward and gripping the handle of Rhea's broom and bringing her to the ground with her. Silently thanking the stars for the cancelled match.
"I can fly my broom, Ange," Rhea said with a hint of annoyance which Angelina decided to ignore. Once they touched the ground Rhea almost collapsed if it wouldn't be for her friend taking a hold of her arm to steady her.
"But, Professor!" The girls could hear the distant voice of their Captain who was quite heartbroken about the cancelled match. "We've got to play...the cup...Gryffindor..." Wood started stuttering, his words not sounding coherent anymore. Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone.
"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" She then turned to Harry and went to speak with him while Angelina turned her attention back to Rhea.
"Come on, we are going to get you to the common room at least." The rare soft side of the rather tough Quidditch player was showing when one of her great friends was in need of her help. She seemed like a completely different person. Guiding Rhea out of the pitch until she got stopped by the twins. Both of them being suspicious of Rhea's earlier behaviour.
"Is she dead?" Fred asked teasingly, tilting his head to the side. It wasn't the fact that Rhea was heavy, but she had no strength whatsoever, so her whole weight was on Angelina now, which was causing Angelina to struggle with carrying her around.
"Not yet but if she does this again I will be sure to kill her," Angelina panted, shifting Rhea's weight. Fred chuckled, reaching his arms towards Rhea and gently scooping her up. Angelina let out a relieved sigh once Rhea's weight was lifted off her.
"What happened to her?" George asked, curiously glancing towards his friend. It was not normal for Rhea to be this drained of energy.
"Stupid girl didn't sleep the whole night for some weird reason." Angelina rolled her eyes, still feeling annoyed by the girl's antics.
"I wonder why..." Fred muttered under his breath. Glancing down at the girl in his arms.
***
"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. Rhea sat next to Fred on the couch, leaning her head against his shoulder. Still not fully awake, but just enough to listen to what McGonagall was saying. Whether she will be behaving according to it is a different story. The Professor rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."
The students looked between each other. Everyone waiting to see if anyone would speak. But as everyone stayed silent McGonagall took her leave. She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately. One over the other. Everyone has their private conversation with their friends.
"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff, " Lee said from next to George, counting on his fingers. The twins and Rhea both looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin...why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause. Rhea was probably one of the only ones that didn't agree with that kind of talk. She reached forward slapping the dark-skinned boy over the head with a frown.
"We do not discriminate Jordan," Rhea muttered, scolding the boy with a stern gaze. Her eyes then landed on someone else. Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned. Completely unlike him. "What's with him?" Rhea asked nodding towards the Weasley boy. Fred and George looked over, noticing their brother sitting there.
"Percy's in shock," George explained quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl, Penelope Clearwater, she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect." George joked, laughing with Lee while Fred tried to stay as still as possible so he wouldn't disturb Rhea on his shoulder. The girl was a lot more awake than when they brought her inside the common room. At that time she wasn't able to even talk back to them. But what disturbed Fred the most was why she hasn't slept last night. Rhea knew better than to stay up late before the Quidditch game.
"Hey, um. Weird question but what is this sudden wave of irresponsibility? I thought that was my job," Fred teased, moving his shoulder just a bit to gain Rhea's attention. The girl looked up at him, her eyelids heavy with sleep as she glanced at her best friend.
"Hm?"
"The fact that you are not sleeping. Not normal and certainly not acceptable. So I hope you have an excuse." Fred took a small pause to look over at Rhea. Taking in the dark circles under her eyes. "Preferably a good one cause your appearance could scare Snape's hair grease off." The ginger teased, already knowing that it would get some reaction from the blonde Black girl. And right according to plan Rhea lifted her head from his shoulder to shot him a glare.
"Now that was low, even for you Weasley." She muttered. With a little strength punching his arm. Usually, her punches would send a piercing jolt of pain through his whole arm. But today he just barely felt anything. "When I was coming out of the library yesterday," Rhea started. feeling like she needed to confess what had happened to her the other night. Now that they knew about another attack. Which was performed on one and only Hermione Granger, Rhea felt like she had to say something. "I felt like someone was watching me, following me. But I saw no one. The only thing I heard was running water." She said looking up at Fred who was letting the thoughts run through his mind.
He thought back to the time when Rhea left the common room after his harsh comments. How they all went to sleep two or so hours later and Rhea still wasn't back by then. He wasn't worried at that time. Just thought she fell asleep in the library again and that they would have to go fetch her there in the morning. That wouldn't be the first time that happened. But now it turns out the truth was different and that if Rhea wouldn't have rushed back inside the common room, without glancing back at whatever was following her she wouldn't be sitting here right now.
A terrible freezing feeling spread through him at the idea causing him to shiver. His hand unintentionally reaching towards Rhea's hand and grasping it tightly. He didn't know what came over him, but he just needed to know that she was there.
"Maybe, we should move around in groups from now on...just in case," Fred suggested. Rhea nodding in agreement while George who overheard their conversation just shrugged. It's not like the three of them would go through any change. They were going in groups long before this monster came. But maybe if they were together the beast would prefer not to come near them in fear of getting pranked.