Professor Pettigrew's Office

[Emilia Pettigrew]

When you walk in, you see bottles and glasses everywhere. Both broken and whole ones. Some of them are filled with different liquids and there are colorful patches on the floor, where some of the bottles lie broken. The shelves on the wall are either empty or covered in half open, broken books. In the midst of all this you see a table with broken photo frames and sheets of paper. Some it has been stacked up in a messy pile, but majority of it has just been thrown loosely on the table. The chair behind the table looks ripped and has big claw marks on it. You can also see claw marks on the rest of the walls. On the wall right behind the table you can see a big map of the world with little different colored pins. Some places on the map have been crossed off completely.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon made his way down the dank corridor until he reached her door. He hesitated before knocking, not sure if this was a good idea. But who else did he have to talk to these days. He knocked briskly on the thick wood and waited.
Nothing.
He knocked again, harder and waited a little longer. Still silence from within the room. He frowned. She must have been out. He leant away from the door and contemplated waiting or going to look for her.
The last letter he'd had from his sister had disturbed him. And he didn't know enough about the new Headmistress to divulge its contents to her yet. He wasn't sure what side she was on. But then if he was honest, he could say the same about Emilia.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia walked back towards her office. She was holding on to the walls, trying not to fall over. Her feet were dragging on the cold stone floor. Her hair was falling down on her face, covering her dark, worried eyes. It was getting closer to the full moon. She hadn't taken her potions for over a year now. Ever since she had been on the run from Kelly, she knew that she'd be safer in her wild werewolf form. However, she was back in Hogwarts now, and she didn't want to worry the new Headmistress. She vowed to start making the potion as soon as she gets to her office.
As she reached the turning to the dungeons, she came to a halt. There was a figure standing outside her office. She let out quiet yelp and dropped to the floor. Kelly can't be here was the only thought that went through her head. There was no way she could've just walked into Hogwarts. Emilia manged to pull herself on her feet, wit the help of the walls. She took a few cautious steps forward, holding her wand firmly. She cast a non-verbal and a spark appeared at the top of her wand, showing light on Simon's figure. Emilia let out a long relieved sigh. "Si-Simon" she stuttered quietly "What are you doing here?"

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon's face instantly broke into a smile as he heard her voice. He turned towards her.
"There you are!" he exclaimed before really seeing her. His face fell as he took in her pained expression and the way her body clung to the wall as though it couldn't stand on its own.
He knew that look. He'd seen it on her face before.
He ran towards her and wrapped his arm around her waist, taking her weight.
"Come on, let's get you to your office." he commanded gently as he led her down the corridor to her door. He pointed his want at the lock with his free hand and then pushed the door open then practically carried her inside. He helped her into her chair and then began hunting around the room for the Wolfsbane.
|"Where is it, Emilia? Where's the potion?" he asked with slight panic.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia felt Simon's hands around her. She let him carry her to her office. As he placed her in her chair, her head fell onto her hands. She felt so worn out, she just wanted to disappear. She wanted to be somewhere, where Kelly would never even dream of looking for her. What a beautiful thought that was. She got brought back to reality when Simon spoke. His voice seemed to come from miles away. Emilia raised her head slowly, staring at Simon. "I haven't prepared it yet." her voice was cracked and low. Do I even have the ingredients anymore she thought to herself. She let out a long and deep sigh, staring at her office. It was an absolute mess. She hadn't cleaned it since god knows when. "Sorry about the look of both me and the room." she said apologetically.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon stared at her in horror as she spoke.
"You don't have...you mean you haven't even..." he broke off shaking his head with disbelief. Suddenly he noticed the state of the office. It was a complete mess. It obviously hadn't been cleaned in ages and it looked like she'd just thrown things down rather than put them away. Her desk was a shambles and there were dirty flasks and apparatus all over the room.
"What the hell has been going on, Emilia?" he asked softly.
His eyes found her ingredients cupboard and he moved to it and began rummaging for the things needed to prepare Wolfsbane potion. He frowned at the small handful of the wolfsbane plant that was the main ingredient and hoped it would be enough.
He took everything to Emilia's workbench and began cutting the plant up, adding it to the cauldron that sat there. With a mere blink of his eyes he ignited the bunsen-burner beneath it and began adding the other ingredients. Being a fire elementalist had its advantages in potion-making.
"How are you holding up over there?" he called to Emilia who was still collapsed in her scratched-up chair.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia felt so embarrassed when Simon started working his way round her office, trying to find ingredients for the potion that she should have made ages ago. A couple of times she tried to say something, but her voice failed her. She let out a deep sigh and just let him mess about in the "rubbish". She reached over to one of the drawers in her table. All that was in there was a lock of black hair, a scrumbled letter, a small testing glass filled with blood and a tub of pills. She brushed everything else aside and grabbed the tub. She dropped 2 little tablets on her palm and swallowed them. She took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. "Once you get used to something, it doesn't seem to work as well." she said more to herself then to anyone else. She tried to organize the things on her table a bit more. She put the broken photo frames into the drawer she had just opened, and put the rest of the papers on top of the already shaking stack. "Reparo" she pointed at the broken glasses. She also eliminated the scratch marks from the walls. She stood up slowly and walked over to Simon. She put her hand on his, stopping him from adding anymore ingredients in the mixture. "There's no point" she claimed, eliminating the fire from underneath the cauldron. "First of all it's too late" she sent all the items back into their cupboard "and secondly, there is by far, not enough wolfsbane left" she added. She conjured another chair for Simon, after cleaning up the liquid on the floor. She walked back round to her table and sat down with a groan. Her age and all this running was getting to her. "So what brings you here, my dear" her attention turned back to Simon.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon was aware of her half-hearted attempts at clearing the room up. It did look a lot better than it had done, especially with her claw marks removed from the walls and furniture.
He froze a little as he felt her hand on his and was about to protest, when all the ingredients flew back into the places in the cupboard. He pursed his lips, his eyes filled with concern as she declared there was no point.
He moved over to the chair she'd conjured for him and reluctantly sat down.
"I don't like the idea of you going without wolfsbane." he said, ignorning her question. "I can see you've obviously been doing that for a while and look what you did to your office." he exclaimed waving a hand at the now tidy room. "And besides what if you hurt one of the kids?" he asked, sounding serious. He sighed and slumped in his chair. "I guess it's too late to do anything about it now." he conceded sullenly.

He looked at her and remembered her earlier question.
"I just thought I'd come and say hi. See how you are. Been feeling a bit out of touch recently. Everyone's...gone." he said, starting out cheerfully, but ending up quiet. "It's good to see you back. I missed you." he added with a soft smile.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia shook her head. Did Simon really think that she hadn't cursed herself about it enough times? That she wasn't worried about her own students? How could he not think that she would stay awake for hours every night, praying to god she didn't bite anyone while being on the run from Kelly? Well, Simon didn't know anything about it. He was blissfully ignorant about everything she had been through. Although he might just have problems of his own, surely. She stared out of the window for a moment, thinking about her own restraint tactic, she was going to use for the next 3 nights. So far she had put every spell she could think of on this classroom, to keep herself from getting out. It had worked so far, why wouldn't it just work for the last couple of times. She turned her attention back to him, giving him a broken smile. "Yeah, it's been quiet, since" her thoughts drifted back to the last fight. How terrified she had been, seeing all those people around her die and being unable to do anything to save her. She lowered her head slightly when she though about Kit and how Kelly had just brutally slaughtered her, with no solid reason. How she had just done it from the lust for blood. A shiver ran down her spine. Oh how she missed Kit. She missed having someone to talk to. She missed having someone who understood her fears. Her eyes dropped to the letter in her drawer. How quiet it had gotten since the last letter she had received from her family. The thought of never hearing from them again brought tears to her eyes. She had never been her mum's favorite, but she had loved her nevertheless. She stared back into Simon's eyes, with tears quietly running down her cheeks. "It's good to be back" she said softly, refusing to admit that she had missed him too. "How have you been holding up?"

[Simon Hedwig]

He watched her, wondering what was going through her head behind her eyes. They seemed darker than usual during this cycle of the moon. He frowned as she didn't really give him a full answer. He shrugged at her question.
"I'm ok. I'm er...I'm an Uncle!" he declared with a sideways smile. Suddenly he knew he could tell her about the new addition to the family. He trusted her.

He frowned again.
"You can't lock yourself away in here again." he told her firmly, changing the subject. He moved his chair closer to her and rested one of his hands on hers. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked, his voice becoming softer. "I can get you out of the castle. Into the Forest. Let you chase me around all night. If it'll help..."
He offered, suddenly desperate to ease her suffering.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia's eyes widened when Simon told her that he was an uncle now. She did feel a bit envious, considering that all of her family was either dead or mentally insane, but she didn't think Simon knew about it. After all she had only told Kit and her death happened not long after that. She wouldn't have had any time to speak to Simon in between. "That's.. umm.. great news! Is it a boy or a girl?"

When Simon put his hands on hers, a familiar shudder ran through Emilia. She still remembered that feeling all too well. She shut her eyes tight before opening them again "Don't cry she ordered herself. His hands felt warm and familiar. Just like old times. She smiled slightly when Simon offered to help during her werewolf period. "I don't think it would be such a good idea." she thought back on the time when she had transformed in the forest in front of Simon and Liz. She pulled her hands away from Simon's. Liz. Emilia still remembered how much it hurt when she saw them together. But then again she never had a chance with Simon anyway. She had known from the very moment she switched sides, that Simon would never forgive her again. She let out a soundless sigh. "I'll be fine in my office. I've put so many spells on these walls, I'm pretty sure it's almost as secure as Azkaban" she joked.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon sensed her freeze when his hand touched hers and he quickly removed it. The feelings were too complicated. Their history was complicated. He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. She seemed lost in thought slightly and again he found himself wondering what was going on in her mind.
He frowned yet again at her response to his suggestion.
"I don't think...I just don't think it's a good idea for the wolf to be cooped in in here. As the fox I'm pretty fast. And I'd have a thousand trees to run up if you got too close. Besides it saves fixing your office in the morning." he added insistently, though he had the feeling she would still refuse. But he really wanted to help. He sighed.
"At the very least let me go and get more potion supplies. It may be too late for tonight, but we can have some ready for tomorrow." he suggested.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia shook her head. "No, seriously it's fine." she was getting a little angry with Simon, it seemed as if he thought she couldn't take care of herself. She could deal with the transformation on her own. She could get her own medication, if she wanted to. She had been looking after herself since he left her after all, hadn't she. She survived their break-up somehow. And she was still here, so she was completely capable of looking after herself. "I've been through much worse" she snapped. She regretted her tone straight away. Simon was just trying to help, she had to remind herself. It's what he always did. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap" she quickly said in an apologetic tone. She let out a deep sigh. She couldn't decide whether to tell him or not. After all, she hadn't told the new headmistress. Then again, Simon meant a lot more to her than that woman. She stared Simon straight in the eye "Besides, the potion won't have the same effect on me anymore, as it used to. Even if I take the potion, I'll still be a full grown angry werewolf. The only difference is, that I'll still have my human emotions and memories" her heart was racing "That's why you can't be there. You will just fuel my" she gulped "sadness." She lowered her gaze, listening to her heart beating rapidly. The sound echoed from the walls. She wasn't gonna tell him that it was all because of Kelly. That it was all because she had cared for someone and once again, got burnt badly.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon was completely taken aback by her sudden outburst. He took an involuntary step backwards and tensed up slightly. He had the distinct impression that he was just bugging her rather than expressing his concern.
"Ok, fine." he said quickly, a slight hint of offence in his tone. "Whatever you want." he added, his voice calmer. He smiled thinly with a slight nod as Emilia apologised, but still felt like he'd outstayed his welcome. She obviously neither wanted nor needed his help.
But then she dropped the real bomb on him. Saying he was responsible for making her sad, even now, years later was like a kick to his stomach. It felt like a lifetime away to him. He thought they had both moved on from it. He'd had no idea she still struggled with it.
He took another step back from her, though this time it was deliberate.
"I er...I'm sorry. I had no idea. Anyway I better go. Getting dark soon. You need to secure the room." He spoke quickly in short sentences, backing towards the door. Suddenly his back hit wood and he fumbled for the door handle. His fingers found the heavy iron ring and pulled the door open just wide enough for him to slip through.
"Take care, ok. Be careful." he said with a weak smile before turning to leave.

[Emilia Pettigrew]

Emilia's eyes widened when Simon started backing away from her. She couldn't figure out what she had said to make him react like this. Did he take the fact that she snapped at him the wrong way? Well, anyway, the last thing she wanted was for him to go. "Umm.. No.. Erm.." she couldn't figure out what to say, as he kept moving towards the door, her eyes locked into his. She felt all the emotions inside her boil. Maybe she wanted him to go. Maybe she wanted him to leave her alone. No, of course not! She did want him around. No, she NEEDED him around. After Kit, Simon was the only person she had left to turn to. She tried to find the right words in her head, but she was too scared to say anything anymore, for her words had made him want to leave in the first place. As he opened the door and turned to leave, she jumped up from her chair "Simon, please don't go!" she said in a high pitched voice. "I'm sorry, for whatever I said." She felt swell up with tears again. "You can't go. You're the only" she gulped "family, that I have left." Tears were running down her cheeks. She didn't raise her head to see whether he was still there or not. She assumed he was for she didn't hear the door shut, so she continued talking. "You're the only person I have left to talk to. There's no one else. Most of my family and Kit were killed before last years easter ball. My dad and one of my sisters are in St. Mungo's, because they have incurable brain damage. My disease" she referred to her being a werewolf "gets less and less bearable with every full moon that passes." she could feel her heart beating rapidly. "All because of one stupid little brat" her voice turned into a quiet whisper as she finished her sentence "Kelly."