章 70: Library Encounter

With the upcoming Quidditch match on the weekend, Hogwarts is enflamed with a fiery passion while Rowan solemnly contemplates how to get out of attending the match. After a long debate, she reluctantly concluded that no professor would allow her to remain inside during the Quidditch matches. And better yet, if Wilkes and the cultists heard of her attempts, there was no telling what they would do.

Though Wilkes is a bit strange ever since his return from Christmas Break. He is a tad more serious at times. Then again, he is growing up. Then again, his parents could have given him a stern talking to.

With a sigh, Rowan glanced up to check up on Terry and Severus. The two of them are carefully copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites. Seeing that Rowan is no longer distracted, Severus snaps, "Now that you're back, help us!"

"Ah, well, I believe that the best learning approach is to learn by failure," Rowan shamelessly retorted.

Severus dangerously narrows his eyes at his twin sister and growled, "HELP US NOW!"

"Fine," Rowan rather sullenly grumbled. "No need to be so dramatic." Leaning over their textbooks Rowan points out a few cures they had missed. She patiently waits until they are nearly finished copying them.

"Well, it looks like the two of you are nearly finished, so I'll be going now," Rowan said as she started packing up her things.

"Class isn't over yet," Severus huffed.

Rowan holds up three fingers in the air and starts counting down. Right on time, Professor Strives clears his throat and says, "Please turn in your assignments at our next class You are all dismissed!"

Smirking at Severus, Rowan cheerfully walks out as Terry can be heard sarcastically remarking, "Well, she got you there." To which Severus snorted in annoyance as he gathered up his things.

With a spring in her step, Rowan enters the library as per usual and sits down to take notes. At the rate she is progressing, she should be finished by the end of spring. That still is a long trajectory, but it would be well worth the price if she could gain insight into exactly what was going on during that time frame. And if she was truly lucky, she might just find a valuable clue or two. But so far, her labor had yet to yield any real results.

Emersed in her research, Rowan barely notices the sound of approaching footsteps. Th usual figures of James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew appear in view and take their regular seats next to her.

Seeing Rowan working so intently caused Sirius to feel rather peeved. "Tch, don't you ever get bored, Rowan?"

"No," Rowan mumbled as she kept her eyes glued to the article before her, ignoring Pettigrew tossing small wads of paper at her.

"Bookworm," Sirius loudly huffed, before leaning over his open book to try to finish reading the page.

Glancing over at Rowan, James casually says, "By the way, Rowan, how long have you and Severus known Lily?"

Rowan's hand ceased to write as her heart dully sank in her chest. "A few years now, why?" Her quill a little forcefully wrote onto her paper causing it to blot.

"Well, it's just-," James paused causing Rowan to glance up to only see the figure of Lily emerging from between the bookshelves.

With a wide smile Lily softly whispers, "So, this is where the four of you sneak off into the evenings? I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes."

Pityingly glancing over at Rowan, Lily said, "They're not bothering you are they, Rowan?"

"Mm depends on what day it is," Rowan truthfully answered, before glancing back down at her notes.

Pettigrew quickly jumps up and says, "Please join us!"

Lily waves her hand to decline the invitation. "No, no, I'm here with Mary and Willa. But I just wanted to take a closer look as I overheard Madam Pince make the comment to Filch that the four of you were present in the library."

"Oh," Pettigrew rather deflated muttered sitting down in disappointment.

"Any who, what are all of you studying?" Lily asked with bright emerald eyes.

"Werewolves!" Pettigrew eagerly chimed.

Lily shivers at the mere thought. "Professor Strives is teaching a summary chapter on Werewolves tomorrow as the topic won't be in-depth studied until another year. It's rather scary to think such terrifying things still roam out in the world in this day and age."

Lupin's hand painfully clenches around his feathered quill until Rowan says, "It's merely an untreatable disease for the moment, but that doesn't mean that there won't be one day a cure."

Glancing up to gaze Lily in the eye, Rowan coldly adds, "It would be rather foolish to be prejudiced against werewolves as they should be pitied and not condemned for their malady. For I highly doubt there is a single werewolf in existence, who if given the choice would not elect to have never been bitten."

Lupin blinks at Rowan with a mixture of gratitude and worry. This is Rowan's friend, and she is picking a fight with Lily over him. Lupin is about to speak up, but James kindly interjects, "I'm sure, Lily, didn't mean anything by that Rowan."

Rowan doesn't reply as she returns to her notetaking as Lily apologetically said, "You're right, Rowan. I shouldn't have made such a mean remark."

Pettigrew hastily says, "It's nothing really, I'm sure that Rowan merely overreacted." Pettigrew gives Rowan a pointed glare as if telling her to keep her comments to herself.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Lily softly says, "I'll be seeing you all later," before heading back into the library corridor and vanishing among the bookshelves.

"Well, that was rather cold of you," Pettigrew pointedly remarked given that Rowan hadn't even said goodbye to Lily.

Annoyed, Rowan gets up the surprise of the four of them. "I'll be going now, I'm feeling a bit tired this evening," Rowan said as she pointed her wand and the volumes swiftly returned to their shelves. Gathering her things, Rowan speedily departed and vanished through the shelves.

"What's gotten into her?" Sirius mused out loud in confusion.

Pettigrew on the other hand was delighted. "Maybe, she caught a nasty bug!"

Doubt it," Sirius retorted. "Severus and Rowan are more likely to fall ill from over-studying than catching a nasty cold."

"One can only hope," Pettigrew said under his breath in a much more cheerful mood.

"Still, Rowan's rather amazing," Lupin hurriedly said in her defense. "Even if she doesn't end up as an Auror, she's sure to become an incredible witch."

"But not as cool as me," Sirius arrogantly retorted causing Lupin to roll his eyes and Pettigrew to snort.

Lupin suddenly realizes that James hasn't spoken a word and glances over at James to find him frowning. "Something on your mind, James?"

James shakes his unruly head and thoughtfully says, "It's nothing really. It's just I thought Rowan seemed a bit out of sorts."

"Out of sorts?" Lupin mused to himself as he thought of something and quickly changed his mind as he shook his head. "Nah, it was probably Pettigrew tossing all those flecks of paper at her."

"Who knows, she's a girl," Sirius wisely said.

All four boys are silent for a moment, before nodding their heads in agreement because frankly wasn't that statement true? Women would always and foremost remain a mystery to men.