Delirium

Chapter 38 - Greetings

Jolie shivered in the dark corridor of the dungeon floor.

Running her hands up and down her arms for warmth, she checked her wrist again—only to, once more, remember she had left her watch in the dorm, tossing it back onto her bedspread before she'd left. She had no sense of how much time had passed.

The closed door to Professor Snape's office loomed before her, the gap at the bottom sealed too greatly to reveal any shadows or light.

For a few minutes, Jolie had debated knocking. But, if she'd done that, the occupants would have time to collect themselves—and possibly create another hasty lie. So then, she'd considered just barging in. But the fear of what she might see aided in Jolie's decision to just stand back and wait.

The castle was eerily silent at this time of night. Or, rather, this early in the morning.

It wasn't the kind of quiet that was peaceful or serene. It was unnerving. There was a hint of whistling wind from the higher floors, or sometimes unexplained scuffs against the stone, all whilst remaining so quiet Jolie could hear the echo of her soft breaths in the empty corridor.

The light the few sconces offered was dim, but she was grateful for the little it offered. She had also neglected to bring her wand in her haste to confront her roommate.

She was regretting it a bit, now. It would have been nice to cast a Lumos. And she yearned for a warming charm.

Her nose had begun running several minutes ago from the bitter cold. And leaning her back against the freezing stone of the wall wasn't helping. Yet, she was too tired to stand straight. Of course, the very second she actually wanted to stay awake, her eyes had finally grown heavy.

But Jolie would not be sitting.

The floor was filthy, and she was dressed only in her pyjamas and slippers. Her bum might just freeze off if she sat. Besides, with her pale blue and white striped pyjama set and fuzzy white slippers, she needed to maintain at least some air of confrontation. If Madeline came out of that door, and Jolie had to scramble to get up, she would hardly seem any bit intimidating.

So she stood her ground, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, waiting.

Earlier, she had impatiently begun to tap her slipper against the floor. But the sound had echoed down the corridor, making it sound as though there were other footsteps approaching. Jolie had gotten creeped out and stopped.

She wished she knew how much time had passed. It had to me a fair amount by now. Thirty minutes? An hour?

Despite the length of time she'd been waiting, however, she still hadn't thought of a single thing to say.

Before tonight, she would've been ready to take Madeline down for threatening the reputation of their House.

The news of a student being intimately involved with a professor alone was enough to drag down Hogwarts' repute. But a student involved with their own Head of House would be gossip for the ages. Slytherin House would never live it down. So Jolie would have been prepared to walk Madeline straight to Dumbledore's office herself to get rid of her and Professor Snape for good.

But Madeline was not just her roommate. Tonight had reminded her of that.

Madeline was her friend. A good one, too.

She always woke Jolie up before breakfast, and waited for her to get ready even if she was already dressed so that they could go together. She willingly took Jolie's side in every situation—even if Jolie was technically in the wrong. (Rare). And the little bits and pieces Jolie had told her about her family, Madeline had never judged her for. Jolie knew if she ever told her roommate the full story of her aunt and uncle, Madeline wouldn't even think to treat her differently.