The Snitch and the Bludger

The Snitch and the Bludger

Chapter 2

"Madam Pomfrey?" Rosie called, as they entered the hospital wing. No reply was heard.

"She must have gone away for a while," Gilderoy concluded.

"You think?" snapped Julia, the frown still adorning her expression.

They spotted the only bed with the curtains closed, which was certainly where Dara was, and advanced towards it.

"Er, Martin?" asked Julia. "We've come to pay you a visit."

The shout of "sod off" she was expecting didn't come, but a strange cackling was heard from inside the curtains.

"She's not here after all. Let's go," Gilderoy said, trembling.

"No," Julia said firmly.

"But I'm frightened," he whined.

"I knew this was going to be fun," Rosie said with a smile. Both Gilderoy and Julia glared at her.

More cackling was heard. Julia was about to move the curtains, but stopped halfway.

"Well?"

"You do it," she said to Gilderoy.

"Me? Why should I?"

"Because you gave her the potion."

"Well, you hit her the other time."

"And all those other times before that," Rosie added with a giggle.

"Shut up," the other two said in unison.

Rosie just shrugged her shoulders in reply. She was having the time of her life.

It was then that the curtains opened from the inside, revealing the skinny face of Dara Martin.

"Ooh, visitors!" she shrieked.

None of the others dared to say a word. They were all expecting her to look sick, but not like this. She was especially flushed and her eyes were glassy, as if she was in a different dimension.

"Where are the lollipops?" she asked. They just remained in silence, eyeing her in surprise.

Rosie was the first to speak. "The lollipops?"

"The lollipops. You promised you'd bring me some lollipops," Dara replied in a childish manner, pointing at Rosie. "I want them tasting like chocolate. Or curry. I like curry."

"This is too weird," mumbled Julia. She then turned to Gilderoy. "What the hell did you give her, anyway?"

"I told, you, a Laxative Potion!" he said, raising his voice nervously.

"Laxative Potions don't do this, Lockhart," Rosie said nervously, as Dara held her hand and began to call her Auntie Prudence, asking for a Barney the Fruit Bat stuffed toy. "You must have screwed it up."

"I didn't," he said indignantly. He had some problems with anything that might require the use of a wand, but he was very good at Potions and was proud of his high grades in that class.

Julia's eyes then widened as she realized something.

"She's not here because of the Potion," she said in a nervous whisper. "She probably didn't even drink it."

"What do you mean? Of course she drank it!" Gilderoy was fuming now. "I saw her!"

"If she had drank a strong Laxative Potion, she's be sitting on a toilet right now, instead of being here at the hospital wing." Julia smiled, as the idea of Dara's humiliation crossed her mind.

"But she drank it! I poured it into her drink this morning!" Gilderoy said, as he searched through his pockets. He found the vial and raised it for the two girls to see it, with a triumphant smile that soon faded as he looked at it and saw it... completely full.

"Uh oh," he mumbled.

"You forgot to open it, you idiot," Julia snapped. Rosie giggled, but silenced nervously as Dara began to kiss her hand, telling her how she had been a very good girl.

"Very well," a sharp voice said from behind them, "what are the three of you doing here?"

They turned to face Madam Pomfrey, who was not happy to see them. Instinctively, Gilderoy hid the vial behind his back.

"We came to visit Martin," Julia said, as Dara cackled behind her, muttering incoherently.

"You shouldn't be here," the matron said. "Miss Martin had a sudden case of appendicitis and is still under the effect of the sedating potion. I suggest you come back tomorrow."

And with this, she shooed them outside as if they were stray hens. As the door closed, Gilderoy remained staring at it in silence for a while, only awakening from his confusion from Julia's sudden burst of laughter.

"Ap... appen... dicitis..." she managed to utter between giggles.

"What's wrong with her?" Gilderoy asked Rosie, who just looked at him before bursting into laughter as well.

The two girls were in hysterics now. Julia had to sit on the floor, clutching her stomach, while Rosie was literally rolling with laughter. After a minute or two, however, she managed to straighten up and looked at the now outraged Gilderoy.

"Good gracious, Lockhart," she said, "you can't even succeed at being dishonest."

"Don't be mean, Ros," Julia, still sitting on the floor, finally managed to say.

Rosie stuck her tongue at her and winked. It was obvious that Julia had forgiven his actions.

"I told you this was a show worth seeing," she said.

"No kidding, 'Auntie Prudence'," Julia joked, as the three left the corridor.