Jamie was starting to regret saying anything, scrubbing the bedpans in the hospital wing —by hand— was not a way he wanted to spend his afternoon. Of course what Snape said infuriated him. Said man was constantly putting kids down, insulting them, berating them, making them feel bad about themselves. He was a bully who abused his position of power, and why? Why did he hate Gryffindor so much? It just did not make sense. For as long as Jamie could remember Snape has hated the House with a passion, but why? Jamie was not sure, and he also wasn't sure on why he defended the two Gryffindors.
When he first met them he could care less about what Malfoy said, but now when he heard Snape say such things and the way Hermione's eyes filled with tears and the way Ron shook with slight fear, it did not sit right in his stomach. If he did not say anything he was sure he would have exploded.
He shouldn't care about them. But the true problem was, that he did.
He cared very much. As if they were friends.
With a huff he blew away an annoying strand of hair that kept falling into his face.
"Here, dear." Madam Pomfrey said marching over, she pulled something from her pocket and tied Jamie's brown hair into a low bun. "I know why you two are in here, Mr. Weasley informed me, I think what you said, how you stood up for that girl, was sweet."
Jamie's ears turned red against his better judgement.
"And how you protected Mr. Weasley, that was very brave, but I must say that you should not threaten a teacher."
"But a teacher can threaten a student?" Jamie frowned.
"Well, no." She sighed then looked off to the side, thinking of how she should word what she was about to say. "You might get expelled talking like that, I'm just saying this now so you won't slip up again. Severus. . . He wasn't always this way, so I'm sure he can turn around. He would never actually lay a hand on his kids."
"Emotional abuse is just as serious as physical abuse. And it should not be taken lightly." He argued, forgetting the cleaning supplies and turning around to face Madam Pomfrey. "And if Dumbledore actually cares for his students the way he says he does, then he would never allow a teacher like Severus to be around students — wait, actually, he just might. I'm sure you remember two years ago, he hired Lord Voldemort—"
Gasps filled the room and Madam Pomfrey shushed him immediately. "We mustn't speak his name aloud. Look around, they're terrified."
He glanced around the room, only three beds were occupied, the furthest bed on the left sat a first year Ravenclaw who was almost in tears at just the mention of the name. Her brother, also Ravenclaw, sat in the next bed over, pale as a ghost. Across from the girl sat a Hufflepuff boy, a third year, he was clutching his pillow to his chest. Jamie rolled his eyes at them.
"It's just a name."
"A name that belonged to a very powerful wizard."
"Well he's dead, what's there to fear?"
She pursed her lips, clearly not knowing how to respond.
"Why is Snape the way he is?" Jamie spoke out of the blue. "Why does he hate Gryffindor so much?"
"Oh, now that is none of your, or mine, business. Get on to cleaning."
Jamie sighed and turned to the next bed. "Oh and Mr. Black, if I were you I'd check the cabinet to your left." With that she left. With a curious frown he opened the cabinet to find a box of old battered wands. With a scoff he glance back with a smile but she was no where to be seen.
Picking up a decent looking wand he caught Ron's eye and waved the boy over. "Here you go."
"But we aren't supposed to use a wand." He said hurriedly, looking over his shoulder.
"You want to finish quickly or sit here for another hour?"
Ron took the wand.
With the wands it only took ten minutes apposed to the hour they would have been working.
"Well boys I will inform Snape your duties are done." Madam Pomfrey sighed as she entered the room once more, her hair damp and twisted up to keep the graying strands out of her face. "Very spotless job, very quickly indeed." She sent a wink to Jamie before turning and rushing to the beds with a tray of brightly colored bottles.
"What in the bloody hell was that about?" Ron asked as they left the hospital wing and were a safe distance away from Madam Pomfrey.
"What do you mean?" Jamie rose a brow.
"She winked at you."
"Oh she did? I didn't notice."
Ron rolled his eyes and Jamie felt his lips curl into an amused smirk. "Why does it bother you Weasley?"
"It — it doesn't!" He defended. "I'm not bothered at all."
"If you say so, Weasley. If you say so."
"Your not going to the game?" Draco almost pouted as he put his now uninjured arm into a white sling. "Why not? You love watching games."
"Yeah I do. In good weather. I'm not going to sit in the stands for hours on end in the freezing rain watching a game unfold during a thunderstorm." Jamie turned away from Draco and pulled his notes closer to him. He was working on different ways to help Goyle's problem, right now he was color coordinating the text, highlighting different sentences or words the boy could not read properly. Once he finds out the problem, like whether he mixes his b's and d's or p's and q's, or something along those lines then he can work on a solution. He's not sure how he can exactly help, he was no genius in the field of learning disabilities.
"But Potter's playing."
Jamie glanced up from his notes. "I know."
"Well don't you want to be there when he slips from his broom and falls —"
"Well hopefully that doesn't happen."
"He's short and thin. Put that together with strong winds he'll be blown away."
"Draco!" Jamie scolded. "Let's just hope no one gets hurt. Okay? Now, go and support Diggory, he's a nice guy."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Diggory is an air head, not to mention a blood traitor, now what would father say —"
"No one gives a damn what your father says." He said dryly.
"Well, I do." Draco straightens up, smoothing down his shirt. "Now if you'll excuse me I have somewhere to be. Crabbe, Goyle, let's go."
The two boys immediately followed after him, Crabbe was swinging the large umbrella and Goyle turned to mouth an apology to Jamie on behalf of his friend.
"Have fun Gregory!" Jamie called lazily, turning back to the notes as if an answer suddenly appeared. With a sigh he dropped his face into his hands, a headache was starting to throb in his temples.
After a moment he waved his wand, all the notes neatly stacked and he shoved them into his bag. He pushed himself up and forced himself to walk out of the common room, as much as he hated asking for help, his hands were tied. If he really wanted to help Goyle he, himself, needed help.
Wandering down the halls was a nice treat. Everyone seemed to be either at the game or in their common rooms, so it was peaceful, even the sounds of booming thunder and howling winds was comforting.
He reached the large doors and raised his hand to knock but froze. He doesn't have to help Gregory, the boy's troubles are none of his concern. Jamie knows he should just focus on himself, not on the other kids, he was busy with himself and Draco, he doesn't need to add anymore people to that list. But yet he couldn't lower his hand.
He knocked.
Madam Pomfrey opened the door, concern flooding her features.
"Is everything alright? Has anyone gotten hurt?"
"Oh, I'm sure everyone is fine, I wasn't at the match."
"Oh, then." She looked left and right as if trying to find someone. "What's the matter?"
"I need help. You see there is this disability that prevents someone from learning properly because the words they read move and what is easy for us to read is gibberish to them. I don't really understand it."
She looked behind her before looking back. "I'm here with a patient, um, I'm sorry I can't help right now. Come back in an hour or so, I can help then." She closed the door in his face, leaving him to blink.
Why had she been so nervous?
With a shrug he turned away and waltz down the hall, unaware of the tragedy that really goes on inside of the walls of Hogwarts.
Entering the common room he collapsed against the couches soft cushions. He turned to face the glass and almost slipped at the slight of an mermaid gazing at him.
She looked almost human, with pale skin — almost grey looking. Her long purple hair floated around her as she tilted her head curiously. The necklace and bracelet she was wearing looked to made of rocks and kelp. She place a webbed hand on the glass, her scales sparkling as the fireplace light roared. Jamie slowly slid off the couch and approached her, carefully he place his hand to align with hers. Her wide eyes were a soft yellow, and look innocent and curious. Then she smiled. Her teeth were sharp as razors and utterly terrifying. She glanced behind her and used her other hand to wave towards himself.
He was confused until three others appeared.
This is what he's been waiting to see all his life at Hogwarts. He's had an obsession with mer-people for as long as he could remember and he finally gets to meet not one, but four. It was like a dream come true.
But dreams don't last long.
"Jamie!"
He quickly spun around at the panicked shout. The walls closed behind a flushed and drenched Draco. The boy was shaking from the cold, his clothes practically a part of his skin, his white hair almost seemed to be glued in front of his eyes. Draco had to lean over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"What happened?" Jamie asked carefully, moving away from the glass and pulling off his grey sweater, offering it to the younger boy.
Draco gladly took the sweater and stumbled to the fireplace, sitting on the closet chair. "Potter. It's Potter. Harry, he―"He finally huffed out.
Jamie's stomach dropped. Worry filling his stomach like freezing water, it seemed almost too hard to breath.
"What happened to Harry?"
Draco shook his head, inhaling another deep breath.
"I—I ran straight here as soon as it happened. I know—I know you'd wa—want to know what happened."
"You ran here from the Quidditch pitch? That's a long run with alot of stairs." He noted and Draco silently nodded. "What happened?"
"Dementors. Alot of them. Harry fell, fifty maybe sixty feet. He was knocked out. He's now in the hospital wing."
Without a second though Jamie sprung up and sprinted to the hospital wing.