Until It Is Gone

Until It Is Lost

Ravenclaw's common room was empty but for one table. A fire guttered in the grate and a tall-branched candlestick stood behind each chair. A girl and three boys occupied four tall dark wooden chairs around the table and cards fluttered and flew across the top as the girl dealt. The four seniors sitting around it picked up their hands and fanned their cards, one eye on their fellow players. The oldest of them scowled at his hand and picked up one of the multicoloured chips from the stack in front of him. He tossed it into the centre of the table and sighed.

"I can't see why we can't play this for galleons. Or knuts at least."

The dealer raised her eyebrow at him then threw a chip in from her own pile. A pair of bronze-rimmed spectacles glittered on her nose and she spoke in the tone of someone answering the same question for the fourth or fifth time.

"Because we're playing it like Muggles play it, Rufus. And anyway, Flitwick would have our heads if he knew we were gambling for real coin."

The second boy tossed in his chip and leaned forward.

"It's a challenge, Roof, remember those? Muggles play this all the time, with nothing but themselves to rely on. Its all in the strategy apparently."

The last boy threw in his chip and rearranged his cards as he spoke.

"Think of it as an exercise in discipline. Can you play and win without magic?"

Rufus Maxwell glanced at the stack of chips in front of him and the substantially smaller stacks in front of everyone else before grinning at the last boy.

"Sure I can Eddie. Can't you count?"

"Yes well, beginners luck. Are you raising?"

"No."

"Fine. Dee, deal please?"

Deirdre Fitzsimons gave two cards to the second boy, two to Eddie Carmichael opposite her, one to Rufus and three to herself.

"Damn you, Rufus!"

"Not my fault I'm brilliant."

The second boy rolled his eyes and threw his hand in.

"Oh shut up! We're all brilliant and you still seem to be winning and winning! You've fixed the deck, that's it!"

"Sure Jack, I've fixed a Muggle deck to stiff my friends out of a big pile of ... what are these things made out of?"

"Plastic."

"...Plastic chips worth nothing. This is indeed what I live for."

The other three sniggered and rearranged their cards, before looking at Rufus. The older boy three in some chips and then the dealer and the last boy threw in. Betting went in two quick rounds before the cards were thrown in and Eddie pulled the chips towards him.

"Where did you pull four aces out of?"

"My darling girl, she dealt me two and two, sweet as you like."

"Fix. Favouritism! Bum deal!"

"Oh sod off, Rufus."

"No, seriously. That's five inches of chips I just lost to the dealer's tongue-toy; I smell a rat."

"Have a bath."

"Ha bloody ha ha.."

Jack pulled in the cards and started shuffling clumsily. His hands were shaking as he cut and stacked them.

"This is awful."

Rufus nodded, his thunderous scowl returning.

"I know. The Boy Who Distracts isn't doing his job."

After nearly dropping the deck Jack Tymon gave up and dealt them as they were. The others gathered up enough for a hand each. Deirdre shook her head, as did Jack, Eddie and Rufus in quick succession. The cards were handed to Eddie who reshuffled.

"In brutal honesty guys, this is our own fault. Potter was a convenience, kept Snape and Filch lurking over near Gryffindor, gave us a reason to be out at night."

Everyone grinned and Jack imitated Snape's sarcastic sneer.

"Potters out of bed? It must be Tuesday."

The Ravenclaws laughed, burying their faces in their hands and sleeves to muffle the sound.

"Hush! Do you want to wake the vermin?"

Still sniffing and giggling to themselves, they anted up and picked up their cards. The betting quickly went to Jack and Rufus with Jack losing on a pair of kings to a trio of fours. Glumly he watched the older boy rake in the chips.

"Ah blast it."

Rufus nodded thoughtfully.

"I know I should have got you for more."

"I must be off my game."

Eddie yawned, clamping his hand over his mouth, but still setting off Rufus and Deirdre.

"We're all off our game. It's past midnight."

Rufus squinted at the clock on the mantle over the dying fire.

"It's nearer one."

Deirdre leaned on the table rubbing her eyes, her glasses pushed up over her fingers. Her voice was slightly muffled by the sleeves of her robes.

"Rufus, you don't need to be up. It's your N.E.W.T. year, and you've potions in the morning. We appreciate it and all but we won't mind if you want to sleep."

"What and leave poor ol' Twitchy Jack making 'a crowd'? No; friends in need and all that. Anyway, after this year, that's it, no more sneaking about, I'll have to be a respectable member of the wizarding community."

Jack looked faintly green.

"Enough to make you sick isn't it?"

"No that's just cold turkey Jack."

Jack grinned the kind of grin that made fathers worry about their daughters and shopkeepers count their merchandise.

"Could be at that." He stretched, his robes slipping down his skinny arms. "Aw, but still, getting an honest job and paying taxes, that's a mugs game that is."

"We don't pay taxes Jack."

"What, wizards don't pay taxes?"

"No, we're Ravenclaws. If you can't rig up some dummy front and offshore accounts with Gringotts you deserve to get stung. Taxes are for Hufflepuffs."

"What? I bet you've looked into pensions and mortgages Rufus."

The older boy drummed his fingers on the table and didn't say anything.

"Oh for ... you need to live a little, Roof."

Eddie tore his gaze from admiring the way that even propping up her face on her palm and dazed with tiredness, Deirdre was adorable. The crushing stupidity of Jacks statement made his blood pound.

"Live a little? Live a little?" His voice began as a harsh whisper, turning into an angry hiss. " Its because we've all 'lived a little' that we're all sitting here trying to get through another night because we can't sleep without help."

"What? I don't ne.."

Eddie's chair tipped backwards as he shot to his feet, leaning over the table and into Jacks face.

"I'm not going to say this is all your goddamn fault because we knew well what we were getting ourselves into but you are in no position to cheerlead the forces of hedonism and debauchery. Might I remind you we're sitting here, playing this stupid game because the potions we need are not freaking here. I know you can't face that bed of yours without a draught of dreamlessness in your hand. I've heard you screaming in the night, so has Rufus and we haven't asked, because you're Ravenclaw. You're fit to look after yourself and we don't interfere but don't you start trying to drag him down. Rufus is the only one of us who has stayed clean and there is no way I'm going to watch him go down our route."

Deirdre reached out to touch Eddies arm. He let her pull him back a little.

"He didn't mean it. He didn't think. He's just tired. We all are. Right Jack?"

Jack swallowed and straightened up from where he had slid down in his chair.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it Deirdre. Sorry, Roof, don't know what I'm saying."

Rufus picked up the deck, riffling and squaring the cards expertly.

"Don't worry about it. Frankly, after this little performance piece I have absolutely no inclination to 'push the boundaries of...'" He grimaced and turned to Eddie. "..of what was it?"

Eddies lips turned up as he stepped back from table, pantomiming like a snake oil salesman.

"Perception, Rufus. I was... we were pushing the boundaries of perception, treading the paths of the ancient sorcerers, long though lost, now to be returned to the spheres of the known."

His grin faded and he turned to stare out the window. Deirdre rose from her chair to stand beside him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned into his side. Staring out at the darkened grounds of Hogwarts beyond he put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Dee. I... I should never have got you into this."

"Don't be daft, I'd never have let you do it alone."

"I should have protected you from all this. Its what I'm supposed to do, defend you, isn't it?"

"If I wanted a defender I would have found myself a Gryffindor. I wanted you. I have only ever wanted you."

"And being a full-on sleeping draught addict at sixteen?"

Deirdre shrugged and grinned.

"Consider it a bonus, we get to make potions together."

"Incurable optimist."

"No, Eddie. I can just see how much harder this would be if I had to watch you go through this while I was hale and fit. That would tear me apart."

Eddie turned to hold her closer, burying his face in her hair.

"We'll find away out of this. There's always a way out."

"Worst comes to worse, we'll follow each other quickly."

"Or end up in neighbouring beds in St. Mungo's"

Eddie laughed.

"Seriously, incurable optimist."

They held each other tightly for a brief moment and stepped apart. Rufus and Jack were balancing spinning poker chips on their wands, which fell and rolled over and off the table as Eddie and Deirdre sat back down.

"No magic! This is a Muggle game!"

"Fine, whatever, you and your Muggles."

"Just deal the cards, or I'll subscribe you to every estate agent I can find."

"You wouldn't!"

"I'm not holding a hand...."

Rufus scowled and muttered as he dealt out the cards and the other three grinned. Chips were tossed in to clatter in the centre and the betting began again.