Empty Castle Ⅲ

The house elves hurry after them, but Rowan makes a firm gesture for them to remain behind. The house elves look rather appalled as they had not been able to properly serve either of them. Topsy clenches her skirts in shock, while Happey shakes his head in displeasure. How can they properly serve if they are not permitted to serve?!

Rowan waits at the door for Nadira, before gently touching the top of Nadira's head. "You must grow stronger, Nadira," Rowan quietly said. "War comes and we must be ready."

Nadira lets out a resigned hiss, "I understand, protector." Her sapphire-colored eyes glitter with determination. "I will eat mighty beasts and grow stronger!"

Rowan sagely nods her head and waits for Nadira to turn invisible, before opening the door. She first closes her eyes to check her mindscape, before motioning for Nadira to follow closely behind. Leading the way, Rowan escorts Nadira all the way to the front entrance. From their she sees a dark shadow cross the grounds before a loud crack is heard in the frozen lake. A large crack appears followed by a splash before the ice quickly freezes back over. Within minutes there is no trace that the ice had ever been broken in the first place.

Turning away Rowan marches towards a dark corridor, before closing her eyes. Her mapscape appears in her mind and she easily spotted James Potter near the library again. Remus had said that James was feeling ill so what was he doing out of bed? Double-checking, she made certain that a nearby corridor is empty before she teleports away to the empty corridor. She walks only a few steps around the corner to the nearby location where James was last seen on her mapscape. She finds him staring at the portrait of Professor Basil Fronsac.

Professor Fransac had once been the Headmaster of Hogwarts, a former Ravenclaw. His current portrait shows him as a middle-aged balding man with scruffy hair on both sides of his head except in the middle. In his hand, he holds a golden pocket watch to check the time. He was more than happy to help any inquisitive minds and would tell anyone where Rowena Ravenclaw came from. In addition, his portrait guarded the shortcut leading to the second-floor corridor near the library. Ironically, the password for the corridor was Studious Success.

Currently, Professor Fransac's portrait is dozing with his pocket watch about to slip out from his hand. "James," Rowan slowly said as not to startle him, "Remus said that you weren't feeling well enough to eat nor to go to Hogsmeade. What are you doing down here?"

Professor Fransac does not awaken at Rowan's voice, but James flinched, before turning to face her. His dark hair was untidy as ever, but he looked rather ill. Behind his round spectacles, his hazel eyes look tired. There are dark eyeshadows under his eyes and his complexion looked rather wane and pale. His skin was tighter on his cheekbones having lost at least half a stone or more.

Rowan hides her shock at seeing James in the unhealthiest state she had ever seen him. Sure, this year he lacked his usual tan, but then again, he wasn't the Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Yet even when he and the rest of the marauders had been at odds with each other earlier this year, she had never witnessed him looking as awful as this. She had been busy, yes, but even she would have noticed James looking this bad. He must have been using some sort of glamour to conceal his condition as none of the Marauders had noticed!

"James, when was the last time, you slept?" Rowan asked with sincere worry in her tone of voice.

"I slept last night," James stiffly replied, but not revealing exactly how short he had slept nor the fact that his dreams had been filled with continuous nightmares again.

"James, you need to rest," Rowan matter-of-factly declared. "I'm taking you down to the infirmary."

"No, I'm fine," James blustered irritably. "There is no need to concern yourself, Rowan."

Rowan's indigo pitch-black eyes grow darker if at all possible. "We are going to the infirmary even if I have to tie you up and drag you there, James Potter," she flatly retorted and she would make good on her threat.

James opens his mouth to protest, but before he can, he hears Rowan say, "Incarcerous!" The spell conjured thick cords from thin air that bond whatever or whoever the caster pointed their wand at. Before he can move, his wand is firmly removed from his pocket by Rowan. Before he can even speak, he finds himself being levitated as he meets Rowan's immovable gaze.

Rowan stares down James, who is the first to glance away, before leading him down to the infirmary. The two of them are quiet as he floats behind Rowan, before a low sheepish laugh emerges from his throat. "I suppose, I should be grateful that the castle is mostly empty, and I am not subjected to the indignity of being tied up and forcibly taken to the infirmary in front of the entire school."

"It would serve you right," Rowan huffed under her breath.

The two fell silent again until they reach the infirmary each lost in their own thoughts. There are various white curtains pulled around white linen beds for the privacy of those currently indisposed. The kind, but stern witch in her late thirties rushes about in a red dress, white apron, and a white matron cap that flutters around her. Madam Pomfrey, the matron did not initially see them as she was checking on several of her patients and filling out the sweet boxes in neat rows next to each bedside.

Madam Pomfrey finally notices them and frowns at seeing Prefect Prince pointing her wand at the presently bound, levitating form of James Potter. "Perfect Prince, what is the meaning of this?" She said in disapproval as she approached them before her eyes widened in horror at seeing the current condition of James Potter.

"Mr. Potter have you not been taking your sleeping draughts as instructed?!" Madam Pomfrey said with great alarm.

"The sleeping draught's give me nightmares," James drily replied causing Madam Pomfrey to let out a loud huff.

"Mr. Potter, the sleeping draught can be adjusted as needed," Madam Pomfrey reprimanded the 5th year boy. "You should have immediately come to me with your concerns! You've lost at least half a stone or more by the looks of it, no doubt a side effect from your look of sleep," she added with a steely glare.

"Prefect Prince, if you would do me the kindness of releasing, Mr. Potter, I shall take it from here," Madam Pomfrey sternly instructed.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Rowan said, before releasing James from his binds and setting him gently back down onto the floor.

"This way, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said as James tiredly followed after the infirmary matron. James nods his head in passing to Rowan, before following after the matron and disappears behind a nearby bed curtain pulled up for privacy.

Rowan sighs and rubs her head before turning away. She wanted to ask more on the subject, but she was running behind as it was. She didn't dare leave the snakeling's alone for very long and she had already gone over the time limit she had set up. There was no telling where they could have got into or snuck off too!

Unfortunately, she couldn't afford to be a very good friend at this time. She was barely holding onto her sanity as it was. It was just one more task to check up on her very long list of things to do. Until then, she just would the best she could, because frankly that was all she could do. For a person once said, "you can't save someone from drowning, if you are drowning as well." A morbid image, but one that was true.