Beware Of Dogs By Stella Donnelly
Chapter Two: Beware of the Dogs by Stella Donnelly
Aemilia was now leaving Snape’s office, it was the usual patrolling of the dungeon corridors., making sure no one was out of bed or committing grand larceny. Snape had said he couldn't be bothered at the moment to join you, something about papers to grade and lessons to plan. It was really probably the fact they never caught anybody. Gemma accompanied her to Snape’s office for assignment, but as per usual shrugged off most of her duties in lieu of pressing N.E.W.T classes assignments and more important duties relegated to someone in her prestigious position of Head Girl. They walked out and Gemma as usual mentioned her station taking the upper floors before she would have to leave for studying and her much needed beauty sleep. Aemilia would take the lower floors to die for all Gemma cared.
It was, of course, damp, cold and incredibly boring.
Starting her rounds on the lowest accessible floor, she couldn’t think of anybody that would want to be down here anyway, it was miserably cold and dark. The candlelight cast long shadows on the grey stone walls, barely penetrating the inky darkness. Her breaths struggled to regulate, eyes darting, scouring for any movement besides the flickering light, and the shadows of the few rats that inhabited these slimy passages. looking over her shoulder, she hurried on. The plan was to do her usual rounds, bottom to top of the dungeons before slipping off to the bathroom on the fifth floor. Doing this for the last two years still didn’t make the dingy passages any less eerie, even her music didn’t help, and the hair was still raised on Aemilia's neck as she made her way up to the next subterranean floor.
Chocolate by The 1975
She was near the common room now, her body relaxed slightly, the passageways started to look more familiar now. The carved walls, increasing tapestries, and statues didn’t seem so terrifying anymore. She glanced at her watch, an hour or so had passed, record timing. She only did a few levels, practically running through most, but if Gemma didn’t care why should she. As she expected the most movement she had seen was a few rats and the bloody baron randomly appearing from a wall and gliding silently through the one opposite, almost stopping her heart in her chest. No students were out of bed and she felt it safe to slink off for a well deserved bath.
grabbing her things she stashed behind a statue near the common room passage, she made her way upstairs. She tried to creep as noiselessly as possible along he cavernous passages, but in the intense quiet each steps crunched and echoed slightly off the stone floor.
There was a water nymph fountain carved into the end of the hallway near the main staircase. She glided slyly over, listening and looking for ant sign of life but herself, of course there was none.
“Aqua Vita” she hissed
The nymph sprang to the side with a fluid motion, her water jug still pouring an endless supply into the basin below. she slipped silently by. And the up a rounding dark staircase
“Lumos”
The passage was a dark cobwebbed tomb. Lacking any of the usual decoration it seemed simply a forgotten old service corridor. Some pipes snaked through and cut through the crumbling plaster. Despite its lack of aesthetic appeal it was the easiest way to get around the castle undetected. She followed the winding hall until she found her exit, marked by herself with a string on an auspicious bronze candelabra hanging dejectedly from the wall next to small brown portrait backing. Pushing the backing she tiptoed out from behind a large portrait onto the padded carpet of a fourth floor hallway.
Here the portraits snored and slept soundly in their gilded portraits. It was much warmer, and not nearly as dark as the dungeons tunnels, but the hair on the back of her neck still bristled nonetheless.
She shielded her light so as to not awaken any portraits and thought to ask for perhaps an invisibility cloak for Christmas this year. Her eyes and ears strained for any sound and she traced the well worn path to the 5th floor she knew so well. Finally she saw the statue of Boris the Bewildered. Hurrying to the fourth door on the left she looked around before whispering
“Bubble Bath”
an incredibly weak and silly password she must say.
Stepping inside the large vaulted room she hurried to the women's changing area.
The white marble and intricate tiled mosaics gleamed. A beautiful room of gothic and roman architecture. Friesas and mosaics on every wall. Ursa Major and Minor roamed the enchanted ceiling above stars and comets flickering around them.Orion readied his shimmering bow. It was breathtaking as always. A beautiful mermaid in a stained glass portrait dozed, on the far wall, draped across her rock, long seaweed like hair trailing over her face, moving with the gradual rise and fall of her breaths. It was beautifully warm and humid as always, breathing in deeply her shoulders fell and her face softened.
She undressed slowly in the screened off changing area. Folding her things and setting them on a bench beside the far wall. She threw on her bathrobe, walking to the edge of the round pool like bath.
It's iridescent tiles shimmered like pearls in the low candlelight. She found her favorite spout. filling the pool with bubblegum scented pink bubbles. Steam rose off the water deliciously as it quickly filled. Her bathrobe fell and she slowly entered the water, acclimating to the hot water on her cool skin. She shivered smiling, her head thrown back hedonistically, soon the room was filled with the sickeningly sweet steam.
The water rippled softly, lazy circles lapping the edges of the pool. The water turned off and she laid back, sitting on the submerged bench around the bath perimeter. A towel supported her weary head, bliss interrupted momentarily by a knitting of brows.
Thoughts of homework and duties for the upcoming week assailed her, she wanted desperately to shake them off and relax. Treading water softly and staring at the stained glass she thought about everything and nothing. How after next year she wouldn't be able to use this room again. She wanted to commit it to her memory. The mermaid perched delicately on her rock, the gleam of the marble.
Studying the gentle curve of the countless faucets and the way the moonlight fell prismatically through the large arched stained glass windows. She sang softly bits of a song she had stuck in her head.
My baby lives in shades of blue…
blue eyes, jazz and attitude…
Playing in the water and singing softly and almost falling asleep she didn’t hear the door open or the footsteps approach the pool.
“Eh hem” a throat cleared
She gasped despite herself, sitting up straight. Her long wet hair draped over her, bubbles and her arms obscured everything else thankfully. She recognized a familiar and irksome silhouette. Hand at his hips, taping his overly shined loafers on the floor, looking quite condescending. she said nothing but looked into his face rock hard face full of dismay. Unsure of what to really say in this situation. Thankfully he spoke first,
“What are you doing here at this hour?” he asked with an acrid air of contempt
“I’d ask you the same.” she retorted quickly and clumsily, her face scrunched and nose held high despite her present indecency.
“I’m Head Boy, I can go wherever, I don’t need to explain myself to you,” he countered archily.
His usual messy slicked back hair fell slightly into his face, his red strands contrasted with it, as impassive as marble, and just as haughty as any Michelangelo had carved.
She hated the stupid emphasis he put on Head Boy.
“You however, are a long way from the dungeons.” he continued
She stared into his serious face and searched for a relevant excuse for her being in the baths at this hour. Even as perfect she knew she couldn’t simply galavant around the castle. Doubling down she decided the truth might persuade a man of such moral fiber more than any lie.
“If I’m to be completely honest, I just finished rounds and hadn’t time for a bath yet, I decided to take a quick one before bed,” she countered silkily gliding toward the stairs.
“A quick bath on the fifth floor?” He humphed, his face still an unwavering solid block of stone.
She opened her mouth speak but he continued
“I’ve said before, as a Prefect it’s your job to set an example to the student body and slinking off to take a bath and shunting off your responsibility for such,- such a frivolous thing, which is of course, a privilege of your position, is very concerning behavior indeed.” he sneered. Stopping a moment, she supposed for his words to take full effect.
She’d admit his disappointing motherish monologue would have had some impact if not for the lack of esteem she held him. He certainly knew how to lay it on thick.
“I’m just taking a quick bath. I didn't have time earlier..” she moved again towards the stairs closer now, she could see him quite clearly. His tall lanky frame unwavering at the stairs. She tried her best to seem as nonchalant and innocent as her tone could muster. She held her hair stroking it softly, sunk down into the bubbles just barely covering her chest. Maybe she could weasel herself out of this.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it was a big deal-” she tried to finish sweetly
Big mistake, huge.
His nostrils flared slightly, “The fact you don’t see it as a ‘big deal’ is telling indeed Ms-” he stopped, he didn’t even know her name, that was almost more annoying,
“Ms Ameilia Otte.” she said icily, dropping her hands
“Right, I’ll be speaking to your Head of House and Head Girl Gemma. How you came to be a prefect, or managed to hold the position is beyond me, 20 points from Slytherin.”
He turned to leave, Jesus even the spin and swish he did with his robe was annoying.
“Wait-” she yelped moving towards the stairs, quite forgetting she was naked for a moment and again thankful for the bubbles. Jesus you’d think this man was vying for minister of magic.
“Ms. Otte..” he turned quickly, averting his eyes and staring hard at the door to the bathroom.
she grabbed a towel and patted down before throwing on her robe.
“Seriously Percy, it’s not that serious” she said with a tinge of desperation now, and thoroughly annoyed,
“Mr. Weasley, and again your lack of propriety, Ms. Otte is concerning. You should take your position a little more seriously. The privileges of your station can be stripped at any time.” he said coolly, she was getting angry with this pretentious prick now.
“Oh good lord, do you hear yourself? Is this about earlier?” she rounded on him
He turned around finally a slight red tinge to his ears.
“I unlike some take my duties as Head Boy seriously-”
“Oh Jesus” she laughed “It’s completely ridiculous, you’re not the Minister of Magic, you’re Head Boy! Trust me, nobody is impressed, you’re just being an annoying self absorbed prick!”
stepping forward as he opened his mouth to retaliate, eyes and nostrils flaring, she was on a roll now and ready to let out some of the frustration that had been building for a while.
“A bath, this is seriously your hill to die on, talking to my Head of House over a bath? I’m sure they have better things to worry about, and besides while you’re in here chastising me about a fucking bath you could have been focusing your oh so important attention on actual problems like those two brothers you barely keep contained. They run around this castle, no better than peeves, right under your own nose, your own house and you can’t even keep them contained, but you’re worried about me.” Aemilia countered with a sarcastic sneer.
She was taking steady steps forwards. He didn't waver, nostrils flaring, a red tinge quite apparent on his mutinous face. looking plussed and thoroughly crossed the corner of his mouth twitched slightly in aggitation but he said nothing, just stared daggers into her own.
Aemilia felt she struck a nerve. She reached out and straightened his robe with a small sarcastic grin. Looking up at him sweetly, knowing she made her point. His marble facade cracked at his barely concealed contempt. she stared back, meeting his icy blue gaze, daring him to say something.
She was inches from his face and could hear his breaths coming very fast, his back was to the door, He didn't move for some moments, just looking down at her with a deadly stare. She almost wanted a retort from him, something.
“I recommend you gather your things and head back to your dormitory.” he said gravely, With that he turned and left.
Aemilia stood there for a moment. Her body still steaming and still annoyed at his excessive arrogance. She thought about continuing her bath, but looking back at the tepid water and depleting bubbles she scoffed and walked to dress and gather her things. The mermaid was now peeking from under her long hair surveying her with a certain curiosity. This only added to her irritation, she dressed and left the room.
She retraced her steps to the lower levels, nearby she heard a crash and a laugh, certainly peeves. She hoped that would keep the arrogant prick busy. Surprisingly she saw no one else despite making no attempts to be silent. The portraits snored and some awoke with a start in their frames as she passed. She clenched her jaw as she slid into the common room. She entered her dorm as silently as possible in her current state, to see Drusilla asleep in the opposite adjacent bed, snoring slightly. her small black cat curled beside her.
“Traitor," she muttered quietly. His ears flicked as if brushing you off, with a silent, you weren’t here.
Already dressed in her pajamas, she slipped under the silver silk sheets and thick feather comforter, Still ruminating on her run in with Percy. Other than anger she was starting to feel a twinge of fear and apprehension about Percy talking to Snape or Gemma. She really didn't care too much about being prefect, but it would still be embarrassing to get in trouble, or worse lose her title. had anyone been stripped of it before? She couldn't remember ever hearing such a thing, but a knot she had tried to push away had settled in her stomach as she finally drifted into a fitful sleep.