Semele Perdita

Salve me amicos, sorry for the awfully long wait I imposed upon you but I lost the original copy of this chapter so I wrote up a whole new one, funness, I don't really know when the next chapter will be but I don't think anytime this week unless I get a stroke of brilliance while making my speech at camp :-/ arghness, I shall either be really upset or euphorically happy when I get back from camp, we shall see. But this is probably the last chapter before I leave for Australia for two weeks as I have stuff going on throughout the next two weeks and then we leave for australia the 5^th, but I might be able to get one more chapter out, we'll see…if I get lots of reviews I might be inspired:-D for further details and bemoaning of my life see my LJ, the links on the profile…

And before the story begins once more I'd like to say a big hearty cheers to my loffly new beta who is the quickest I've ever had…and to my other beta who is probably wondering why I'm posting without getting her input back….*grin* sorry, I'm horrible I know, you can chew me out later…

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Semele Perdita: The Once Lost

By: ladyakako

Chapter 11: Your Usual to the Kitchens

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-James-

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Before I could exactly register that she had consented to actually breaking the rules, (something I thought that Evans might never do) I had grabbed her hand and started to drag her down the hallway. The paintings were still sneering at us quite angrily. I figured once we got back from the kitchens, they'd have calmed down a bit. Hopefully.

Once we had cleared the hallway and I was fairly certain she wouldn't back down of her agreement, I slowed and let go of her hand. Quite reluctantly I might add because no matter how snippy she could be, Evans was still quite attractive.

I carefully padded down the hallway, making sure to listen for any other footsteps besides Evans' and mine. As I didn't have either the Map or my Invisibility Cloak, it would be a bit difficult not to get caught on the way to the kitchens, but not impossible.

After several minutes of leading her through various hallways with snoring paintings and the occasional awake one, we made it into the main hallways.

“What are we doing here?” she whispered with an urgent tone. I pulled a hand up to shush her; afraid she might wake the paintings around us. Filch the caretaker had a penchant for roaming the castle at night trying to find students out of bed. While it wasn't exactly night yet, it was most definitely after lights out, I was certain. We had just spent several hours trying to bear the noise up in the hallway.

“Hold on, I know what I'm doing. Trust me.” I motioned her to be silent as she opened her mouth to argue with me again. She looked (if it was even possible) even more annoyed at me. I continued forward, confidently walking the halls that were almost pitch dark. I heard Evans walking a bit more cautiously behind me. I smiled to myself, if we were going to spend any more detentions together, she'd have to learn to trust me a bit more. I would have to make sure that we did; Evans was so much fun to tease.

Finally, after a few more minutes, we reached the old Charms hallway. Charms class had been held here for my first several years, but it got moved all of a sudden to another corridor near the Transfiguration hallway at the beginning of form of fourth year. No one knows why, but Sirius said he heard something was living in one of the rooms that the staff wasn't allowed to get rid of. Needless to say, Sirius and I searched everywhere in the corridor and found not even a hair of any strange beast.

Seeing as how it was pitch dark, it was hard to see very much of anything except vague outlines of shadows in the hallway, since it had no windows. As we reached near the end of the corridor, I started to feel along the wall for what I was looking for. A piece of raised plaster on the wall, which was the only hint of the passageway that was there and we had found it by accident one day. Remus, Sirius and I had been late for Charms once in second year. We had stumbled upon it when Remus fell into the wall when he had tripped over his tattered book bag.  

“What are you doing?” Evans hissed at me, her voice quite close. I looked up from the wall surprised; Evans was standing right next to me, staring where my hands were on the wall.

I turned back as my right index finger brushed something on the wall. I smiled in triumph, yanked at the surrounding plaster and it gave a small moan. “Looking for this,” I grunted in explanation after a moment of tugging. The plaster came free to reveal a small, crouched doorway leading into a completely dark passage.

Suddenly, footsteps began to echo quite loudly in the corridor. Slapping in a disjointed rhythm, they were headed right towards us. A moment later, I spotted a small patch of light, no doubt a lantern. Filch's lantern, as he was the only one in the castle who used one to go around with.

“Hurry, go, and don't move until I tell you to,” I whispered as I pushed Evans toward the opening. She hoisted herself up uncomfortably and looked back with doubt in her eyes. I mouthed `go' to her as the footsteps had now become accompanied by the occasional muttering. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn Filch could smell us. His footsteps were headed right towards the opening.

As Evans finally disappeared into the hole, I quickly climbed in after her, wrenching the plaster back over the hole, listening as it rather solidly hit the ground. I felt my glasses slip off my face and onto the ground somewhere around me. Despite of the need to be quiet, I groaned. Without my glasses, I was quite literally blind.

“Are you okay?” I heard her whisper and felt a flitting hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, don't worry; I do it all the time. Just lost my balance,” I answered her, accepting blindly the hand that had been offered to help me up.

“My glasses are somewhere down there, so don't step too far from where you are, please. I don't fancy getting another pai of themr,” I warned her when she started to move.

“Well what do we do now?” she asked after a moment of silence. I felt for the wall again. Pressing gently on the loose piece, I leaned my ear against the area silently. Hearing fading footsteps, I nodded to myself, the coast was clear.

“First, I find my glasses and then, we go to the kitchens like planned.” I got back down on my knees, keeping my hand on the wall to guide me and let my other hand flit across the ground to search for the spectacles. Soon enough, the pair was retrieved and I placed them back on my face. Not that it helped any, it was still blacker than night and I could barely make out Evans' form as she waited for me.

“Okay, now because we have any light, you'll just have to---er--- feel your way, I guess. Don't worry, there aren't many turns in this one, it's pretty straightforward. There's just a spot further on that's a bit iffy, but I'll warn you about it,” I spoke cautiously to her, not sure how she'd react after being shoved into a small passage and almost being caught by Filch.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Just…never mind I don't want to know.”

“What?” I smiled.

“About how many school rules were you breaking when you found this passage?” she asked after a moment. I reached out to her form to grab her arm and led her to the wall to show her how to navigate the tunnel.

“Only about four, actually. Most of them we broke before we got to that hallway. Sirius, Remus and I were late to Charms once in second year because of…well, ah…something that came up.” I trailed off, knowing for sure she wouldn't want to know about what had exactly made us late in the first place. Her Prefect blood, however subdued at the time, would most likely boil.

To my surprise, I actually heard a laughing exhale of air come from Evans as I walked forward, after positioning her on the wall. She was actually laughing at something I had done that was against the rules…she had to be sick or something. Then again, she really wasn't acting normal for herself this year. For Merlin's sake, it was already the end of November and she had done nothing to remind anyone that she was a Prefect! It had been one of her favorite pastimes last year. I think it has something to do with her parents' death, maybe something snapped when they died. I'm sure if mine died, I would change too. It would be unavoidable.

“Potter?” she said shakily behind me. We had been following the tunnel for only a minute or so by now.

“Yeah?” If it would have been light in here I would have raised an eyebrow at her, but seeing how no one could actually see me, I kept it to myself.

“How long is this tunnel?” her voice was a little bolder now.

“Not much longer. Don't worry; nothing's been in here except my mates and me in forever.”

“That's comforting,” she replied bitingly.

Only a moment later, I leaned down to pick a pebble of the ground and skipped it forward on the ground. Crouching down, I listened for the sounds of the drop-off that was somewhere near. I was rewarded about a moment later when I heard a small clanging to my left. That meant we had to stay to the far, far right. There was a rather large hole in the tunnel floor. Though we had seen it many times, none of us could figure out where it went. One day before we left Hogwarts next year, I figured we'd find out, but now was not the time. There was food waiting for Evans and me in the kitchens and most likely only slimy, unidentifiable creatures waiting down that hole. After all, I was pretty sure it was just an old broken pipe.

“Stick as close to the right wall as you can,” I said after a moment.

“Why…?” she asked slowly.

“I'll show you some other time, right now you probably don't want to know.”

“Who said I would let you lead me into this tunnel ever again, Potter?” I could almost feel her glaring at me as I began to nudge my way across the thin line of ground that we needed to walk on.

“Just a hunch, Evans. After all, what girl in her right mind could resist the Potter charm?” I added off-handedly.

“Any girl,” she responded in a mock-sweet tone.

I would have smirked at her as she undoubtedly was at me, but I found this useless. All I could see of her was a dim outline. It was so dark in this tunnel; I doubt she could see much more.

We both inched along the short crevice until we reached the end and I jumped to the regular ground of the tunnel, which was now a few feet below the jutted level.

“Watch it, Evans, there's a slight drop,” I voiced a warning for her.

“Where? I can't see a—oof!” I saw her dark form shift down as her foot caught on the ledge and I reached forward to grab her. She slid right off the ledge as if it were a slide, a rather bumpy one though. I knew this from experience, I had done it the first few times I'd came through this tunnel.

“You okay?” I asked after I helped her back to her feet.

“Yeah, yeah, I think so.” Her voice was a bit shaky as she said this so I reached out for her arm again, to steady her.

“It's only a bit further and once we're out of here, I promise no one will catch us. Filch never goes to the kitchens; I think he's scared of the house-elves,” I added that last bit, in hopes of making her smile. But it was true; Filch never went to the kitchens.

She snorted in laughter, she actually snorted! I don't think I've ever heard a girl do that, except when one of Sirius' older sister—I don't remember which one— had somewhat snorted at Remus and I at the train station. I do believe that was in disgust though.

We continued in silence until finally, after about five more minutes, we reached the end of the tunnel. I began to search around for the small latch that opened the portrait on the other side of the wall.

Once I had found it, I gently tugged on it and looked down the deserted hallway, just to check to see if it really was empty. After I had confirmed the coast was clear, I pushed the painting all the way out to reveal a hole quite sizable (much larger than the other opening of the tunnel.)

“Finally! That took forever,” Evans sighed. I could now see her profile a bit more clearly in the dim light filtering into the tunnel. Her hair was now mussed, the auburn had a bit of dust in it from her fall, but it still looked as pretty as ever. She had a small scrape on her arm, but it wasn't bleeding. Over all, she got out pretty well for her first time ever being in a secret passageway of Hogwarts. The first time I was in one, a manifestation of flesh-eating slugs that had nested in a tunnel that went to Hogsmeade almost killed me. It was a scarring experience, truly. I could never look at slugs the same way as all the other boys ever again.

I climbed out of the hole and held a hand out for Evans. She didn't take it and just climbed out herself, looking around the hall.

“Where are we?” she asked after a moment.

“We are about a minute away from the famous kitchens of Hogwarts and if you would hurry up a bit, we could be inside of said kitchens,” I answered promptly. When she gave me the withering glare she had probably been dying to give me ever since we ducked Filch, I smiled cheekily. I love to tick off Evans; it was just so much fun! Her Ravenclaw know-it-all-snob attitude that she sometimes took was just too amusing. Although, I guess that she wasn't nearly as bad as some of the Ravenclaw dolts in our year. Bloody hell, they're annoying.

I proceeded down the hall without her knowing full well that she'd follow, because she wouldn't want to get caught out alone. That was the whole reason she was even with me in the first place.

Soon enough, I heard her footsteps rushing after me. Just as I reached the pear and began to tickle it, she caught up to me.

“What are you doing now?” she asked, a bit out of breath.

Instead of answering her, I waited for the portrait of the fruit bowl to swing open and reveal the last stretch to the kitchens.

I simply said, “Getting us into the kitchens,” and then stepped into the hallway. I heard the portrait swing close after Evans came in after me.

She caught up to me and walked by my side without a word this time, until we reached the main part of the kitchens. Then, I heard her take a sharp breath; this was very obviously her time here. I, who had been here many times before, was not impressed anymore. The same way that one gets used to living a large, drafty house that was empty most of the time, one gets used to the loud and cheery kitchens that made such wonderful food. It was like a second common room to Sirius and I (next to The Three Broomsticks, but strictly speaking we're not allowed to go there.) So, we just don't speak about when we do go there.

“Now what?” Evans asked. Good Merlin, does she ever stop asking questions?

“We do this: OY! Cob! You here?” I yelled out the last part to call forth the house-elf that I was particularly fond of.

A small, ragged creature suddenly sprinted up from out of nowhere with a huge smile plastered on his slightly deformed face. When I say slightly, I mean its ---well--- it's very squashed. Cob, the house-elf, had brown leathery skin and large gray, watery eyes. His face though, was as I was saying, very ugly. His nose was most likely the problem. It was very large and kind of ballooned out to cover most of his cheeks and almost droop over his mouth. It also kind of leaned towards the right side of his face, but—oh well, I think all house-elves were ugly. It must be something that they eat.

“Would Mr. Prongs and his lady be wanting something, sir?” the elf's wide eyes took in the sight of Evans avidly. If it were a human, I could have sworn he was checking her out. Almost as an afterthought, I winced at the use of the nickname that Sirius always called me in the kitchens and now all the house elves took it up.

“I'm not his lady,” Evans snapped before I could respond.

“Ignore her outbursts.” I smiled at her in the same mock-sweet tone she'd had earlier. “I'll have some shepherds pie and some pumpkin juice. Evans, what do you want?”

“Er—just some hot cocoa, if you would,” she said, still sounding a bit put out. At least, she didn't seem to have noticed the `Mr. Prongs' thing, she was probably too occupied with what came after it.

Cob was back with my food and juice and her hot cocoa a moment later, with an even larger mug. He showed us to a small table and balanced the food on top of it. With a small squeak and a quick bow he was off again, after reassuring both of us that it was his pleasure and if we needed anything to call him up.

“There's still a possibility I may never speak to you again after shoving me into that tunnel, Potter,” she said, breaking the silence. She was staring into her cocoa stirring it around absently with the spoon.

“Not like you talk to me much anyways, Evans. We only have three or four classes together,” I responded thoughtfully. It was true; the only classes we shared were a few of our N.E.W.T. classes: Arithmancy, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes.

“Hmm, but next year, you have a bid in for Head Boy, you know.”

“I know,” I grinned to myself. I was quite proud that she had noticed that for some reason.

“There's an off-chance we might get stuck together you know,” she finally looked up and met my eyes. She was smiling slightly.

“That wouldn't be too horrible, would it?” I asked curiously.

“As long as you don't drag me through too many tunnels and you let go of all your bloody pretenses about being Merlin's gift to women, I'm sure I'll get along just fine.”

“That hurt Evans.” I put a hand to my chest as if I'd just been wounded there and did my best puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, save it, Potter.” She rolled her eyes at me and stood up. “I'm finished, are you ready yet?”

I looked down at my plate and then back up at her. Just for fun I decided to eat a bit more, just to tick the girl off a bit more and anyways, who wanted to clean those stupid paintings anyways?

“Nope, I still got half of my meal left, woman, sit down,” I said smartly.

She sat down with a sigh and propped her face on her left palm.

“Well, hurry up then.”

“Yes, ma'am.” I replied.

We were there for another ten minutes, until I quit harping her with the food thing. It was really quite amusing and I was rather reluctant to go back to the paintings, but I knew it would take all night if we didn't get up there now.

After going a shorter, but a bit more risky way back, (Evans practically pleaded not to go back through the tunnel) we began to clean…and clean…and clean. Oh, did I mention, we nearly blasted our eardrums out? The paintings seemed even louder after the peaceful quiet of the kitchens.

After another hour or so, we had finished and together, we headed to Filch's office to be excused. He didn't say a word, just glared at us, like we were murderers who were getting away with a bit of community service. After retrieving my wand from Filch, I nodded good-bye to Evans; neither of us said anything to each other. We just headed the different direction to our own dormitories.

Personally, when I finally reached the Fat Lady and told her our new password (“Aurora Borealis”), all I was ready to do was sleep. And that is exactly what I did.  

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hope you enjoyed….

Now for my reviewers because I've decided that I just might have to love them, because they are my only support….

draco's gurl - bwah, I did it in james' pov on a lark, because lily's didn't quite fit because of the way the chapter was dominated…hmm well you see about updates, I have this chronic disease called forgetfulness…er, well…I forget to type up a new chapter quite a lot…although this may just be called laziness, no one can tell anymore :-D

shortcake - she kind of fell on top of him, but you must remember that she doesn't really like him yet…she still thinks he's an arse for the most part, this is the part of the story where she gets to know him…awkward situations and embarrassing moments are in the near future though…

lady in black - teehee I think holly(eschiva) would make a good tree, maybe it would get her to shut up once in a while…and no it isn't mad-eye it's just a very ugly old person who looks like someone I know with just a tad bit of exaggeration

eschiva - hum de dum…I couldn't find a way to get you to like not see the story was updated so I suppose you get to read it then…and Stephanie wouldn't slit my throat, she likes me better.

jess131346 - thanks, I'm glad I'm not alone. Keep reading!

PhoenixPheather - it is to my horrible displeasure to inform you that most fluff will happen near the end of seventh year and after Hogwarts…but in the mean time funny stuff shall happen to bring the two together and lead into the fluffyness :-D thank you for the many loffly compliments, I try to avoid leaving something important like Peter out. Look forward to hearing from you again!

Loswen - aww no dying now…just be extra happy I updated before I got really busy and forgot too :-D teehee

Anonymous - er---I suppose that last review meant something but I'm not sure I understand the jumblelyness of the letters, maybe its just me :-D

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now review yourself or you might not see another chapter for the next month and a half(see author's note on top for details)