A Bend In Time

With care and a bit slowly, Rowan made her way downstairs as the three girls rather caringly served her warm tea and a soft roll. "This will settle your stomach and at least warm it up a bit, hon," Bethanie said.

"Thanks," Rowan said as she drank the warm tea.

"I'd lend you my stomach warmer," Silvia whispered. "But we aren't allowed to carry them around in class."

"Chauvinist pigs," Rowan growled.

"I think someone has a bit of a temper, this morning," Tiffany softly said.

"Really?" Rowan said as moisture for some unknown reason began to well up inside her c.h.e.s.t. Wasn't enough that she was already dealing with so many things on her plate and now this?!

Tiffany gazes at Rowan in horror as Bethanie hurriedly smoothed things over. "What she means to say," Bethanie paused to shot Tiffany a glare. "That you're the same as usual just a bit tense. And it makes Prefect sense as it's the first day of the exams."

"Mm," Rowan sniffed as she blinked the moisture out of her eyes. Luckily, she didn't actually cry. "I bloody hate all of this!" Rowan grouchily muttered. "It's just not fair!"

"Of course, it isn't," Bethanie said with a sigh. "But that's life for you."

Silvia pours Rowan another cup of tea and says, "Now drink up, it'll help with the pain." Rowan obediently does as she is told as Severus and Terry come over to sit by them.

"You look a bit wane this morning, Rowan," Terry said. "You alright?"

"Don't I look alright?" Rowan snapped causing Terry to blink in surprise.

Bethanie hurriedly says, "She's just feeling a bit unwell today."

"Okay," Terry warily said as he gave Rowan a wide breach.

"Are you truly alright?" Severus worriedly asked.

Trying to keep all the swirling emotions inside her under control, Rowan takes a deep breath before answering, "I'm just not feeling very well this morning, Sev. I'll feel better after I stop by the infirmary."

Severus worriedly leans over and touches Rowan's face and says, "You don't have a temperature, but you seem a bit pale. A headache?"

"More like a stomachache," Silvia said under her breath.

"Did you eat something that made you ill?" Severus asked with a frown.

"No, but I wish," Rowan grumbled.

Severus rather concerned said, "But will you have time to visit the infirmary before the exams today?"

"No, but it will have to wait until after," Rowan dejectedly replied.

A bit worried, Severus whispers to Bethanie, "Is that really true? I've never known Rowan to get sick much less at stomachache."

"Trust us, it's true," Tiffany softly pipped in.

Severus keeps a wary eye on Rowan throughout breakfast and as they came their way up to the swelter hot classroom where their written papers were to be taken. They had all been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell. Normally, the heat would have been an annoyance, but the warmth actually felt nice on her stomach. But still, the terrible cramps didn't go away as she kept herself from hunching over the desk in pain.

Rowan didn't quite remember what she wrote towards the end of the exam and frankly, she didn't care as long as she was excused. Being one of the first ones done, she rushed out of the room and weakly made her way down the long winding corridors and stairs to the infirmary. Not too far off from the infirmary, Rowan lets out a gasp as a pail of cold icy water is poured onto her.

Glaring, Rowan raises her gaze to meet the snickering form of Peeves. Sticking his tongue at her, Peeves leers, "Now you're all wet!"

An icy look enters Rowan's eyes as a dark smile appears on her face. "Then we should even the odds, don't you think?" Rowan growled and before Peeves can react, she points her wand at him, "Skurge!" Peeves let out a pig squeal and darts away as though his arse was on fire.

"I should have done that since the beginning," Rowan mumbled to herself as she pointed her wand at herself and muttered, the Hot-Air charm, a neat little spell learned from Wilkes. At the thought of Wilkes, Rowan tenses as a billow of hot air poured out of her wand and began to swiftly dry her hair and clothes. Trying to relax, she is caught unawares as a painful sneeze, almost causes her to kneel over in pain as her stomach painfully clenched.

Holding onto the wall now, Rowan tiredly makes her way to the infirmary to see the billows of Madam Pomfrey's dress appear before her. "Oh dear," Madam Pomfrey said. And without even needing to ask her, she says, "Have a seat, my dear, I'll have you right as rain in just a minute."

Gratefully Rowan climbs onto the bed and curls up into a fetal position trying to put alleviate some of the pain. Soon after, Madam Pomfrey appears with a peppermint smelling draught. "This will take away the aching pain and the swelling," Madam Pomfrey said. With great p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Rowan downs the peppermint tasting potion as soon after a warm feeling begins to spread in her stomach as the pain fades away to a dull ache.

"I've made a few more for you as well," Madam Pomfrey said as she showed Rowan a few vials.

"Just make sure to take one per day, no more," Madam Pomfrey firmly instructed. "And should you run out, just bring back the vials to be refilled, I always keep some handy just in case."

"Thank you," Rowan sincerely said as Madam Pomfrey said, "T'was my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, my dear, that's what I'm here for. Now, you just rest for the moment and have a bit of a nap. The dosage I gave you was a bit stronger than the norm and you'll get a tad sleepy. I'll let your Professors know in advance just in case you should arrive late to the next exam."

Rowan sleepily nods her head as Madam Pomfrey gently tucks her in and closes the curtains. After a nice, long nap, Rowan yawned awake and blinked away the sleep. Feeling so much better now, she climbs out of bed and carefully places the vials in her pocket. Grabbing a handful of sweets, she makes her way back upstairs to the exams.

To her bad luck, Rowan comes across Filch in his rounds. "And just what are you doing out of exams, Miss Prince?" Argus Filch eagerly said as his bulging pale eyes flickered with glee. "Trying to cheat, no doubt."

"No, sir," Rowan truthfully answered. "I was in the infirmary as I had a rather terrible stomachache." Reaching into her pocket, she holds out several vials filled with a silver, greenish potion within.

Not yet quite the hunched man of the future nor rheumatic, Filch darts forward and snatches the vial out of her hand. Carefully uncorking it, he brings the vial to his rather pasty face. While Filch studies her potion, Rowan studies him. His sunken cheeks denote his lack of sleep with graying, thin hair. He does have a bit of purple nose, but not quite as violet as in the future. And though slender, he still seems to have some life into him as his clothes don't yet seem quite yet as patched nor quite the smell of mothballs nor of mold.

Corking the draught, Filch reluctantly returns the vial and says, "Now off to exams! No, sneaking about!"

"Yes, sir," Rowan said, but not before asking, "But may I give Mrs. Norris a pat on the head?"

"What?" Filch said in disbelief.

"Well, I thought she was always a lovely creature, but given that she was always on duty, I've never had a chance too. I thought maybe since you're here with her, you might let me for a minute or two," Rowan requested.

Filch eyes Rowan for a moment and says, "Fine, but only for a minute."

Gently kneeling onto the ground, Rowan holds her hand out for Mrs. Norris to sniff before rubbing the cat's soft spots. Not even a minute later, Mrs. Norris was softly purring as a gentle look appeared in Filch's eyes. Clearing his throat much to the disappointment of Mrs. Norris, Flinch gruffly says, "Now off you go."

"Thank you, sir," Rowan said, before giving Mrs. Norris one last pat, before hurrying off to the exams.

Argus Flinch sniffs and says, "I suppose there's even one good apple in a rotten barrel." Mrs. Norris meows in agreement as the two stomped off in search of unwary students. And lo behold, they did not need search far before encountering an unsuspecting prey.