Love and Darkness

Love and Darkness

Chapter Four:

After the Welcoming Feast (well, more like during, but as far as Philomena was concerned, she was welcome enough), Philomena Masterson found herself on her knees on the very clean floor of the girls lavatory. She pressed her forehead against the cool surface of the toilet, taking in a deep, shaking breath. She heard movement around the outside of the stall, but didn�t bother closing the stall door. There was only one person in the lavatory with her, and Narcissa Black was doing a good enough job of warding off any other girls who had tried to enter.

Narcissa Black was soon to become Narcissa Malfoy, wife of Lucius Malfoy. She had graduated a few years before, but had returned with her fianc� for his meeting with Headmaster Dumbledore, a fact Philomena was grateful for, as she hadn�t bothered casting a locking charm on the lavatory. Now Narcissa stood outside of her stall, viewing her beautiful reflection in the mirror, striking different poses and rearranging different strands of her hair starting again. Her facial expressions, however, became that of disgust once Philomena began throwing up again.

�So, you�re dating Sevvie-poo?� asked Narcissa, walking up to the mirror and applying dark red lipstick to her full lips.

�Uh�yeah,� replied Philomena, wiping her mouth and sitting down beside the toilet.

�Dear Merlin, Philly,� said Narcissa. �I personally have no problems with Severus, but you know everyone else. They�re demons. They�ll eat you both alive! And then you told Sirius Black that you�ve been having sex! You keep this up-� she motioned to the bathroom area �-then everyone will think you�re pregnant! You know the golden rule, Philomena. Sleep with anyone you want, you don�t become the school whore until you�re pregnant.�

Philomena closed her eyes and got back on her knees in front of the toilet, pushing her finger back into her throat until she was throwing up again. Narcissa sighed and turned back to the stall, leaning back against the sink.

�You really should do things my way, Philly, it�s a lot less disgusting,� Narcissa said.

�Yeah, well, I like food too much to give it up, so I�ll just keep forcing it up,� Philomena replied, flushing the toilet and pushing herself to her feet, walking to the sink and running the water.

�I know, but first you shove food down your throat like a starving woman,� said Narcissa. �Then, you throw up. Ew. Then you lose your hair and teeth and ew, ew, ew!�

�But by being anorexic, you don�t get to eat all this good food,� argued Philomena.

Narcissa scoffed and rolled her eyes as Philomena splashed water on her face.

�Well, I�d better get going, Philomena darling,� said Narcissa, walking towards the door. �Good luck when classes start.�

�Yeah, thanks,� muttered Philomena, grabbing a towel to dry her face before walking quickly from the lavatory, right into the traffic of the corridor. No one seemed to notice her, which must have been why they all felt very free to talk about her.

�I heard he�s given her a love potion!�

�Snape is good in Potions!�

�Yeah, but even if I was given a love potion, I wouldn�t love that!�

The group giggled.

�No, I think he�s blackmailing her!�

�Still wouldn�t be worth it!�

More laughter.

�Maybe she�s just stupid!�

�The most stupid person in the world wouldn�t even be with him!�

�You�re all bloody gits!� exclaimed a voice Philomena recognized as Lily Evans, stalking ahead of the Gryffindors, causing more laughter.

�Yeah, well she�s a brave Gryffindor. She probably has the courage it takes to be friends with Snape! But aren�t Ravenclaws supposed to be smart to know you shouldn�t?�

�Maybe she feels sorry for him?�

�Oh, Philomena Masterson has such a big heart!�

�HEY!� shouted Philomena, glaring at the large group of students, breathing heavily. The group stopping, turning to her, some in the back still giggling behind hands while the ones up close to Philomena looked pale, eyes wide. �SHUT UP! YOU DON�T-�

�Philly.�

Philomena stopped, feeling his hand take hers, his presence behind her, his voice in her ear, all helping her calm down and step back, right into his chest as he snaked his arms around her. The group smirked and continued walking, but Philomena wasn�t really paying much attention to them. There was a ringing in her head, the world still spinning as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

TBC

A/N Each chapter won't be a one character thing, and these first chapters were just getting you into my main characters. From now on, each chapter might have more than one character's point of view, and things will definitely get more interesting from here on out.