Belladonna

Lack of Sleep

Belladonna 14

Lack of Sleep

17 December 1992

Sleep did not come easily for Ana for the next several weeks. Her dreams were plagued by strange, swirling lights, blurry faces, and a weeping woman begging for Sev to help. At night she'd toss and turn in a restless state, but come morning the dreams would vanish quickly and she could make no more sense of them than the first night.

Unfortunately for Ana, the lack of sleep began to show in her school work. One week in Herbology, she was so distracted she got entangled in the Venomous Tentacula and had to go see Madam Pomfrey when she injured herself with a severing charm. In Charms, she'd accidentally sent Professor Flitwick flying across the classroom and sent him to the hospital wing. She'd actually received a Dreadful on an assignment in Transfiguration because she fell asleep half-way through and had to turn it in incomplete. She always left Divination with a headache; though, that could have been from the heavy incense as opposed to the lack of sleep. But...even Potions was affected by the lack of sleep

"Miss Evans," Professor Snape said from directly behind Ana, causing her to jump. "Restate what I just said."

"Uh... Evans miss?"

Flora and Hestia giggled, as did many others, but Sev was not amused.

"Ten points from Slytherin for your lack of focus, and five for your cheek."

Ana nodded. She probably deserved that.

"Now, pay attention, and see me after class."

Much of the class heckled until Sev turned on them as well. The remaining thirty minutes seemed to drag on forever. Ana tried to pay attention, truly, but she'd had Divination before that and her head was still foggy. It didn't help matters that this lesson was of the lecture variety and not a practical one.

When the bell finally rang, Ana told the girls to go to lunch without her; she'd catch up with them later. Then she waited for the rest of the class to file out before approaching Sev. He stood near the front of his desk with a look he usually reserved for the Gryffindors.

"Please don't look at me like that, Sir," Ana said.

"And how is it that I look?" he asked dryly.

"Like I'm the biggest regret of your life."

The softening of his features were miniscule, but Ana noticed them and was appreciative of them.

"Take a seat, Belladonna, and tell me...what troubles you now?"

"Nothing," Ana lied. She didn't want to tell Sev about the dreams because she didn't want to sound like a child complaining.

"I would disagree. You failed to perform a simple seize and pull charm, and instead you sent Filius to hospital. You received a Dreadful on an assignment for Minerva, and now you cannot tell me what is in a shrinking solution."

"I can too! It's... that's what you asked, isn't it? You know I can brew a shrinking solution, Sev."

"Then speak."

"I..." Ana sighed. "I haven't been sleeping well lately." She knew it was probably a foolish notion to think that would be a sufficient enough of an explanation for him. His look told her she'd been correct in that assumption, so she continued.