Twilight to Dusk

Chapter Five

By the time Jamie returned, the other three had started on deserts. Only Ari seemed to notice her arrival. Looking at her with concern, for Ari thought that Jamie, too, looked like she'd been crying, Ari opened her mouth to speak, but Ema cut her off.

"Where's our midget?" she asked with her mouth stuffed full of so much ice cream, Ari thought it was bound to give her brain freeze. Sure enough, two seconds later, Ema groaned and rubbed her head.

Jamie sat down and looked carefully around. "She's up in the Common Room," she said, almost shiftily, glancing around again.

"How'd you get the password?" asked Ema accusatorily, looking at Jamie.

"From Joey," said Jamie, shrugging. "It doesn't matter, Sarah's just a little odd. You were right, Ema," she added and it seemed to be costing her a lot of dignity. "She did belong in Slytherin, but when the hat tried to put her there ..." she trailed off. "Sarah just can't stand not being with me," Jamie stated, shrugging. She shook her head, looking depressed, and helped herself to a chocolate cake sitting nearby.

Ema, apparently shocked that she hadn't noticed the cake herself, grabbed about half of it and tucked in avidly, seemingly oblivious to all around her.

* * *

When she had eaten quite enough, though she knew that quite enough in her language meant enough for an elephant in Ari's, Ema looked around contentedly. Jamie was still eating treacle tart, while Ari sat, sipping pumpkin juice slowly and thoughtfully. Ronnie, like Ema, merely gazed around, seemingly at ease with the world.

Ema was about to suggest that they make some noise when Professor Katkin stood up, and she closed her mouth. While Ema would be the first to admit that she was not the most polite person in the world, she did have a great amount of respect for Luna Katkin, and the last thing in the world she would think of doing would be to talk as the Headmistress was addressing the school. Well, Ema amended, not the last but close to it.

The deserts vanished from their plates, causing Jamie to make a noise of indignation, and Ari to cough as she tried to take a sip of air. They both looked up at Katkin, however, with faces that told Ema they were determined to be respectful as well.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts," began Professor Katkin, her long snow white hair falling in front of her as she stood up. She swept it out of her eyes revealing, though not visible from so far back as Ema was sitting, dark blue eyes, quite like Ari's. "And I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you all back again. The summer, which is not so relaxing for us teachers -" there were some scattered chuckles among the staff, and Professor Flitwick gave a high-pitched giggle. Professor Katkin smiled at them and then back at the students. "The summer has been far too long and dull for us, though I'm sure you feel rather differently."

This time there were some scattered laughs among the students. Professor Katkin continued. "There are a few start of term announcements that I must make before sending you off to your delightful slumbers. First, please note that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, and please do not forget it, poor as your memories may be." She smiled at the hall at large, but her eyes lingered for a moment on Ema's cousin, Colin, who sat with his friends at the Gryffindor table and stared innocently up at Katkin.

"Then, too, please remember that no Weasley's Wizard Weezes are allowed in the hallways, Mr. Filch has reminded me to tell you that if anyone is found with these items in their possession, they will be severely punished." She spoke seriously but the corners of her mouth twitched.

"Finally," she said, "last year we had a frightening increase of students out of bed in the night, roaming the hallways. This, I remind you, is not tolerated, nor is it safe. Do not do it. No excuse will excuse you, excepting, of course, illness, or other emergencies."

This time there was no sign of a smile on her face, and Ema could not help but realize that being out of bed had never been considered - well, it had always been a major offence, but now it seemed ...

Ema gave up trying to figure out what she was thinking. She turned her attention back to Professor Katkin who was smiling again. "Quidditch tryouts will take place the second Saturday of term, I remind you again, first years are now allowed to be on teams, but they must own their own brooms. Please inform your parents of the change in rules, as there has been much confusion. Now, I believe that's everything of importance. Off to bed with you."

There was a great rumbling and the Ravenclaw Four got up and headed to bed. On their way, they saw the Prefects of Ravenclaw taking the first years out and introducing everyone.

"So, what's the password?" asked Ema, yawning and catching up with Jamie.

Jamie looked blank. (005)

"You asked Joey, remember?" said Ema.

"Oh," said Jamie vaguely, looking about to fall asleep where she stood. "Oh, right ... um ... it ... was ..." she yawned again. "Oh ... I'm just so t-t-t-tired. It was ..."

"Joey!" called Ari. "What was the password? Only Jamie's half dead here and can't tell us."

Joey jogged over to them and said, "It's Ambiguity with lots of rabbits and chickens. Don't ask me what it's supposed to mean...Michael made it up." She was referring to the other sixth year prefect, who was really crazy -even for a Ravenclaw.

"Thank you," said Ari, and the four of them headed up the stairs to West Tower.

Jamie yawned again. "I'm going to go to sl-sleeeeeep," she yawned and stumbled upstairs, falling into bed without even getting undressed.

The rest of them, though tired, pulled off their robes and pulled on pajamas, and, without speaking, crawled into their four poster beds, all of them falling asleep immediately.

* * *

The next morning dawned, cold and bleak, mirroring Ronnie's mood. She didn't know exactly why she felt so withdrawn, but that was not her immediate concern. The fact remained that she was depressed and angry at the world.

The others noticed, she could tell, but she refused to talk about what was wrong. Well, she couldn't, really, if she didn't know herself.

Eventually, she saw Jamie whisper something to the other two and they shrugged and nodded.

Ronnie prodded through her feelings, trying to find out what was wrong with her. What had happened to cause her to feel this way? Suddenly, she burst into tears and dashed out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Ema looked at the other two in alarm. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Why'd she do that?"

She stood up, but Ari pulled her back down. "WHAT?" yelled Ema so loudly that half the hall went quiet.

"We can't bother her now, Em," said Jamie in an undertone. "She's upset about something but either she doesn't want us to know or she doesn't know herself. Just leave her alone."

Ema looked supremely annoyed but vented her anger by loading her plate with six or seven sausages and eight or nine pieces of bacon, purely for the satisfaction of seeing Ari's look of disgust.

Professor Flitwick was handing out schedules. Jamie asked for an extra.

"What?" said Flitwick, looking very taken aback. "I have only enough for one per person, Miss Lastroni."

"Oh, not for me," Jamie assured him. "Ronnie's upset about something, she just ran off. I was wondering if I could have her schedule."

Ema was looking at Flitwick in concern. He certainly hadn't seemed this old the previous year. Over the summer he seemed to have shrunk several inches, and he was leaning heavily on a cane. Or maybe she just hadn't looked last year.

Professor Flitwick handed Ronnie's schedule to Jamie and moved on along the table.

"He doesn't look too good, does he?" asked Ari quietly.

"Good, I'm not the only one, then," sighed Ema.

"Yeah, he's aged, like, a hundred years since last year," Jamie put in.

"I hope he's okay," said Ari.

"He's fine," said Ema emphatically, trying to convince herself more than Ari. "If he's just now aged, then he's got years left in his bones."

* * *

Ronnie sat in the stall of the girls' toilets, trying to collect herself. The truth was, she had remembered the way that Jamie had lovingly led Sarah out of the Great Hall when she was upset, and realized that she had no one who would do that for her. It had dawned on her suddenly - she was jealous of Jamie's relationship with her sister.

Before, the Ravenclaw Four was just that - but now, Jamie's sister had come to Hogwarts, and Ari's mother was about to have a baby. Both pairs of siblings would love each other and be loved by their parents.

Though she had known it for ever, it felt like the first time she realized that she was not loved by her family. She had never felt so lonely in her life.

* * *

When Veronica Malfoy didn't turn up for potions, Professor Snape was worried. While he would never admit it to anybody but himself, he had taken a liking to the neglected of the twins, rather than the one in his own house.

To tell the truth, he was afraid first that her parents or sister had hurt her in some way that made her unable to attend class. But when he saw the other three Ravenclaw girls he knew it could not be true. They looked happy enough. He knew, though would never confess, that their relationship was one of such loyalty that if something was wrong with Veronica, the three of them would be all over him with questions.

He decided to get on with the roll, and perhaps he would be able to find out what had happened to the young Ravenclaw Malfoy.

After ensuring that everyone else was in the class, he rounded on Arwen, Jasmine, and Ema. "And where," he snarled, "is our dear Miss Malfoy?" He wasn't sure why he was being so snappish. There were no Slytherins in this class, so he wasn't providing amusement for anybody. He was horrified to find that his ill temper had become such a habit.

To his surprise, he got no retaliation, not even from Ema. She looked him straight in the eye, almost causing him to look away, and stated, "She is indisposed."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" snapped Snape. He knew this was no way to find out anything, but he couldn't help it.

"She's upset," said Jamie.

Snape rounded on her. "About what?"

"We're not sure," said Ari, nearly causing Snape to scream in frustration.

"Fine," he sneered. "Please inform her that she will report to my office after classes today to discuss her missing this class."

* * *

"That was really unfair," stated Ema, as they walked out of the potion class. "I hope Ronnie doesn't get in trouble. She doesn't even know what class she has."

"Oh, bloody hell!" said Jamie, causing Ema and Ari to look at her in surprise.

"Language!" said Ari in a frighteningly accurate imitation of Jamie.

"That," said Jamie, "was an appropriate, and not random, use of the word. I have Ronnie's schedule so I'm responsible for finding her. Tell Flitwick where I am, will you?" She dashed off down the hall towards the common room.

* * *

"Jamie's finding Ronnie to give her her schedule," Ema informed Flitwick before she'd even sat down.

"Very well, very well," said Flitwick, hobbling to his desk where he climbed onto the stack of books that had grown somewhat since the previous year and looking out at the class. "Today we will be learning a simple growth charm ... now, take out your wands everyone, and let's practice the wand movement."

"I hope Ronnie's okay," Ema muttered to Ari under her breath.

"I hope she survives her little meeting with Snape," Ari replied.

* * *

Jamie and Ronnie didn't show up until lunch. At the sight of them approaching, Ari turned. "Where were you?" she asked. "You missed growth charms. I'll show you how to -"

"Shut up, Ari," Ema cut in. "Are you okay, Ronnie?"

"Fine," she stated. "Never been better."

"Erm ..." Jamie whispered hesitantly. "Ronnie's a bit down about her family right now. Sarah!"

Sarah had just seated herself down next to Jamie. "Hi, Jamie," she said sullenly.

"Sarah, please, please, please ... find some first year friends. I can't babysit you twenty-four hours a day."

"No," said Sarah. "They think I'm a freak."

"No they don't," said Ema defensively. "Why would they?"

"Because I cried when the Hat tried to put me in Slytherin," Sarah snapped.

"Anyone would be upset if the Hat tried to put you somewhere you didn't want to be," said Ema adamantly, surprising Ari.

"Sarah, you have to try harder, okay? We have our own problems at the moment," Jamie told her.

"Fine." Sarah stalked off towards the Ravenclaw first year girls, Marianna Bones, and Kaya Hollin.

"They do look very nice," said Ronnie abruptly. "But remember she was friends with Amy what's-her-face who's in Slytherin?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up," said Jamie. "I don't want to hear anything about Ravenclaw versus Slytherin ever again. Thank you."

Ema and Ari exchanged looks. Tensions were running high and it was only the first day.

* * *

Ronnie had almost forgotten that she had to see Snape at the end of the day, but when she remembered, it was with foreboding. She knocked on his door, feeling like she was heading to the gallows. "Sir? It's Ronnie Malfoy."

"Come in Miss Malfoy," she heard his sneering voice.

She entered, feeling frightened. "I'm ... I'm sorry, sir."

"What was so pressing that you felt you did not need to come to potions?" snarled Snape.

"It's kind of ... complicated."

"So are potions," said Snape sarcastically. "Try me."

"Well, I was upset and Jamie got my schedule for me she didn't give it to me so even if I wasn't still locked in the girls' toilet I wouldn't have known I was supposed to be in potions."

"What," said Snape impatiently, "was so upsetting that you locked yourself in a toilet for an hour?"

"Um ..." Ronnie really did not want to go into this with Professor Snape. "Family issues?" she said, as though it were a question.

"Be that as it may, you may not miss my classes, except in the case of near death illness. Ten points from Ravenclaw. You may go."

Ronnie ran out of his office and to the Ravenclaw Common Room, snapped at the others to leave her alone, and went to bed, horribly aware that she was sounding as bitter and mean as Snape.

* * *

It seemed that Jamie and Ronnie both decided to make a conscious effort to keep their tempers over the next few weeks. Ema and Ari had started Quidditch practices, so they didn't have to deal so much with their friends' mood swings.

Sarah had sort of made friends with Kaya Hollin, though, admittedly, it seemed more like acquaintances. At every opportunity, Ema noticed but did not mention, Sarah talked with Amy Clearwater. She was a true Slytherin, and there was nothing Ema could do about it.

Even Ari seemed to be getting more irritable ... no, tense, as September progressed, but at least Ema understood her tension. It was getting nearer to her mum's due date. Ronnie and Jamie, though, wouldn't tell her what was wrong, and Ema, of all people, could not be expected to understand if she wasn't specifically told.

"Will you stop snapping at me?" she snapped as she had just asked Jamie for the fourth time if she could borrow her book. Each time, Jamie had snapped, "I'm trying to work."

"Ema. Read my lips. I ... am ... trying ... to ... work."

Ema uttered a soft scream of exasperation. "What is it with us these days?" she asked no one in general. "We can't even have a normal conversation without yelling at each other. What happened to the Ravenclaw Four?"

"Ema! I'm trying to work."

"Fine. Lovely. Good-bye." Ema turned on her heel and stormed up to the dormitory to find Ari writing a list.

"Whatcha writing?" asked Ema, looking over Ari's shoulder.

"I'm trying to work," sighed Ari.

"That seems to be the phrase of the day," stated Ema, throwing herself onto her bed, taking out her sketchbook and starting to sketch caricatures of the Ravenclaw Four. They might have been rather silly cartoons, but they mirrored something far deeper. She drew each member how they were the day they went supplies shopping over the summer - happy, carefree, sarcastic, random, odd ... themselves. Then she drew them how they were now - testy, confused, angry, upset, and "trying to work" constantly.

She found herself missing the old Ravenclaw Four so much that she started to cry silently. She pulled the curtains closed around her bed and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

When Ema woke up the next day, Saturday, she went downstairs to breakfast without waiting for the others. When she got down to the Great Hall, however, she found that it was the others who had not waited for her.

They grinned at her as she sat down and said in unison, "I'm trying to work."

"Ha-ha-ha," said Ema, but she grinned in spite of herself. "Does this mean you woke up on the right side of the bed today ... for once?"

"Ema, we're really sorry," said Ari earnestly. "We've all been tense and irritable, and we've kind of been taking it out on you. It's hard to remember sometimes that you're human too."

"Gee, thanks," said Ema sarcastically.

"Really, Ema, we are sorry," said Jamie. "I was upset because I didn't want to hear or have to think about the fact that Sarah belongs ... you know. Ronnie was feeling unloved, Ari ... well, you know what Ari was feeling ... We just didn't think that you couldn't know that if we didn't tell you. We really are sorry."

"That's fine," said Ema, piling eggs onto her plate. "Don't do it again."

And for the first time in weeks, the Ravenclaw Four laughed together.