chapter 68

                                    

                                          
A few days later I was busy studying in the great hall with the girls. 
                          
I'd been force to confess the truth about what I'd done with Cedric, although they'd pretty much guessed since I didn't return to the dorm that night. The birthday blowjob jokes had kept them entertained for the rest of the next morning. 
                          
I didn't give them any of the details of the real account, but had informed them that it was incredible. I was suddenly very grateful Cedric had his own room and I thought I'd be spending a lot of evenings there for the remainder of the term. 
                          
"Did you hear that Pansy Parkinson has a huge. crush on Snape?" Maisie whispered to us excitedly and I looked up from my book. 
                          
Dakota scoffed, automatically doubtful of the news, "there's no way that's true. I mean have you seen the guy, he's like the devil reincarnated."
                          
"Actually I heard it from Theo so it's got to be true, they're best friends after all." Maisie insisted, peeking over at the Slytherin table where the pretty girl sat. 
                          
"Pfff some friend he is, sharing the details of her crush on snivelling Snape." Evelyn added. She wasn't paying much attention, too focused on testing new hair colours using her wand and the small mirror leant against her stack of unfinished assignments. 
                          
I swatted her arm gently, "hey! Snape's not that bad, he's a sweetheart really."
                          
She looked at me the way she did when she thought I was being incredibly stupid. "Snape? A sweetheart? Are we talking about the same professor who pushed us off the astronomy tower last year just for kicks?"
                          
I rolled my eyes. "There was a net below and besides, he was right to make us practice the savolo charm. It could come in handy if we fall off something."
                          
"I still retain the opinion that he had too much pleasure watching Neville Longbottom cry as he pushed him." 
                          
"Either way" Maisie interjected, "a crush on Snape is plain creepy. Of course, we always knew those Slytherin girls were the kinkiest."
                          
She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, obviously referring to the infamous incident from last Halloween. 
                          
A few of the seventh year Slytherin girls had been caught in the fourth floor bathroom by Trelawney, wrapped up in rather compromising positions with a gaggle of the Ravenclaw boys. Apparently whips, ball gags and anal beads had been involved to some degree. 
                          
It was still a highly talked about story and I shuddered at the expletive image in my head, tuning back into the conversation at hand. 
                          
"If there's any teacher that it's plausible to have a crush on then we ALL know it's Lupin." Dakota said adamantly. 
                          
"He's married!" I protested, the image on his desk stuck in my mind. 
                          
"Rings come off. Besides imagine him bending you ov-" She began to gesture with her body, getting too wrapped up in her own fantasy. 
                          
I threw my hands up in the air, indicating for her to stop speaking. She laughed at my expression and I blocked their conversation out as they began to debate if Dumbledore and McGonagall really are secretly shagging on weekends. 
                          
I was still of the personal opinion that they certainly weren't, although a lot of students claimed they heard frequent and elicit feline meows drifting from his office when they passed by. 
                          
I turned my attention back to my book, scanning the text. It was one that we had been assigned to memorise for our muggle studies class. For the most part it had been enjoyable, even containing the occasional sketch, which was generous considering the text-heavy state of my magical books. 
                          
I flicked to the next page, an unfamiliar word stopping me in my tracks. 
                          
I frowned, trying to decipher its meaning, but nothing came to mind. It was certainly a word I'd never seen before and my Ravenclaw brain refused to continue the book until I understood it properly. 
                          
I flicked my wand, summoning my muggle dictionary and turned the pages until I reached the right letter. I ran my finger down the list and finally landed on the word, tapping it twice. 
                          
Sojourn
                          
noun
               a temporary stay
                          
verb
               to stay somewhere for a moment
                          
Comes from the French root 'jour' meaning 'day''. 
                          
I rolled the word around on my tongue quietly, pondering its meaning. 
                          
And suddenly it hit me. 
                          
I knew, with crystal clear clarity.
I knew exactly how to help Draco and his mother. 
                          
I brandished my wand to summon two pieces of parchment and two envelopes, not wanting to waste a second more than I already had. 
                          
I wrote quickly, forming the most haphazard scribble compared to my usual orderly hand. 
                          
In the first letter, I made sure to explain the predicament in full, fleshing out the details so as not to cause the receiver any confusion. I signed it with my usual sentiments and set it aside. 
                          
For the second message I was more careful. I concentrated my eager handwriting, looping it into the most elaborate cursive I'd been taught; the very same style I saved for Hagrid's most formal Ministry correspondence. 
                          
It had to be just right, tailored specifically to what I knew of the recipient. The wrong tone, the incorrect appearance, and they may choose to never to reply. 
                          
I folded both pages with delicacy, scoring the bends of the paper so they remained crisp. Then I tucked them into the envelopes, writing the addresses on the front with extra care. 
                          
I reached for my wand, tapping the second letter and chanting a quick charm under my breath. I wanted to ensure it was protected from prying eyes, appearing as a harmless message if anyone but the intended receiver chose to open it. 
                          
My eyes scanned the document, ensuring the charm hadn't revealed itself upon the parchment in any way, before grabbing both pieces of mail and dismissing myself from the table. 
                          
As I left the hall, I headed to the owlery as quickly as my legs could carry me, practically stumbling up the concrete steps in my eagerness. 
                          
Once I arrived I handed them to the first free owls I could find. 
                          
I watched them fly out of the tower, disappearing into the distance as I smiled to myself. 
                          
Helena Ravenclaw had been right. 
                          
I'd stopped thinking about the issue, and the answer had finally come to me. 
                          
I left the tower with a spring in my step, happy that the first part of the plan was being put into motion.
                          
Only time would tell if it was going to work.