A/N: Well, finally I've completed another chapter. I haven't had the Internet for a long while and now I do. I was going to update back in July, but I was shocked and heartbroken and now on the road to writers recovery from Harry Potter and the HBP. Maybe that's why I haven't put Draco in this Chapter?
Thanks to my beta Mike Watford AKA HarryPotter17
Chapter 6
I'm Not OK
Aeryn was cold. She had not bothered with a cloak and the bitter cold December wind nipped at her skin. She sat on the large ledge on a window of the high center tower looking at the lit city below. And though it was night the sky was lit as well. For a month they had been trapped inside Atlantis. Well it wasn't like they needed to leave, but the fact that the owl post had ceased and nothing could get in or out irked just about everyone.
The others were worried about Aeryn, and they had every right to. Aeryn hardly ate; her grades were drastically slipping, and forget about late night studying. As soon as she hit the Head Common Room she headed straight to her room after dinner. Natural sleep was out of the question; in fact she could not get to sleep without a sleeping potion. She was sitting in the tower that night waiting for the potion to show some sign of working. The potion was having less and less effect on her with each passing night.
And all this affected everyone. Draco had reverted to being the mean person he used to be. Ron had reported that a couple weeks after Halloween, Draco was sleeping in his bed in the seventh year dorm. Ron in fact seemed to disappear a lot. Though he claimed to be in the library, the others doubted it.
Hermione and Harry felt helpless to what was happening around them. All they could do was to continue on with their normal daily routines. They do however spend a little of their time each day with Lily James, Remus and Sirius.
Back in the beginning of October they had all agreed to have dinner together once a week at least. Currently Harry, Hermione and Ron were in the living room of the apartment James, Lily and Sirius shared. While the `adults' were in the kitchen.
"I don't understand why we have to walk eggshells." James said.
"She's had a rough time James, all she needs is time," Lily replied to him.
"I think this goes beyond being dead. She was fine before," Sirius said, "Something has set her off recently."
"But what do we do. I don't about you but it's hard jumping into parenting two teen rather than one baby." Lily said.
"We know Aeryn is reluctant to except help if something is wrong," Remus said.
"But how do we go about it. I doubt she would willingly allow to an examination by Madam Pomfrey." Lily said.
"Exactly, so we have to come up with a way to do it whether she is willing or not." Remus replied.
"You're joking right?" Lily asked.
"Lily, she needs help with whatever is going on whether she wants it or not." James said, "What kind of parents would we be if we continue to let her go down the path of destruction."
"Back in the other timeline when things got back she only let two people in, you James and Malfoy." Sirius said, "And from what Harry, Hermione and Ron say, Aeryn and Malfoy are on the rocks."
"So it's up to me." James said, "If she doesn't show up for dinner I will go look for her."
"I'll go talk to Madam Pomfrey right now to see if she can come here in a couple hours." Remus said.
"Good idea, I'll come with." Sirius said.
"I think you should find Aeryn now and get her to come for dinner," Lily said to James.
Harry, Hermione and Ron were puzzled when the three Marauders exited to their tasks.
"What's going on Mum?" Harry asked.
"We are putting a stop to Aeryn's nonsense once and for all. What ever is happening with Aeryn we will find out and deal with it. We can't just stand by and do nothing anymore." Lily replied trying to convince herself that they were doing the right thing.
"She won't like that." Harry said.
"I think it doesn't matter what you sister likes it or not." Lily said.
"I think she's confused." Ron said.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I told you that I have been spending a lot of time in the Library and that the truth." Ron said, "Mostly to find something to help Luna. But I've watched the way Aeryn has been lately. And sometimes, when she really snaps at us, it looks like she is trying to restrain herself from doing something."
"She wouldn't hurt us Ron." Harry said.
"No, Aeryn wouldn't, but what if she had this internal battle going on within trying to decipher whether to love us or hate us because of Jade's memories." Ron said.
"You don't think she has anything to do with the attack do you?" Hermione said as a thought.
"Why would you even think that?" Harry said to Hermione.
"I wasn't going to bring it up," said Ron, "But it does make sense."
"Harry, you should let Ron explain first." Lily said calmly wanting to know what Ron thought.
"Right after the attacks, who had the magic overload shockwave thingy? She goes to her room straight after dinner and we don't see her until lunch the next day, if we are lucky. She's pushing everyone away."
"Not to mention the only person who knew where the Ring of Atlantis was, but her." Hermione said. Harry gave her a look, "It's not like she would do it on purpose."
"So, what, she has a split personality problem?" Harry asked. They all sat there thinking, "The Attacker isn't working alone though."
"So who would be stupid enough to help? Everyone who Aeryn trusts is being pushed away." Lily said.
"More importantly, who in the school would Jade trust enough." Ron said.
"This is ridiculous!" Harry exclaimed, "In that vision where you were attacked Ron, who was also attacked, lying on the floor. Aeryn can't be the one to do all this."
"This is all just a theory Harry," Lily said, "No one has any actual proof."
"Why are you doing this?" they heard a voice from outside the apartment, "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
The door opened and in walked Aeryn followed closely by James.
"We agreed to have dinner together and no amount of self pitying and pouting in the high tower is going to change that." James told her, "Now sit down and shut up over there and if even attempt to leave, I swear to Merlin I will spell you to your seat." Aeryn reluctantly sat down where she was told.
"Just a warning," Aeryn said, "I took about five times the amount of a sleeping potion that you are supposed to take."
"Why the bloody hell would you do that?" James asked raising his voice a little.
"I can't get to sleep without it and lately it hasn't been working. I took it an hour ago and still hitting the hay for me." Aeryn said looking out the window.
Harry took a real good look at his sister. She had circles under her eyes, and to be honest, looked like hell.
"Do you know that you run the risk of not waking up?" Lily told her, "It is extremely dangerous."
"Don't lecture me about potions Mom. I know exactly what I am doing with them." Aeryn said coldly. Lily gave up and went back to the kitchen to finish making dinner.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
As Sirius and Remus entered the Hospital Room, they could do nothing but overhear the conversation coming from Madam Pomfrey's office.
"I don't understand how those Holic people can people can be so incompetent. If only they cared about their students. How could they not do anything?" Madam Pomfrey said to her two guests.
"I will speak to her Headmistress about this." Dumbledore said.
"Perhaps being a Head student is a bit too much for Miss Potter to handle."
"That decision is for Professor Cogsworth to make Severus," Dumbledore replied, "Besides we don't know for sure if Miss Potter's grades have been slipping in other areas other than potions."
Remus cleared his throat, making their presence know. Ignoring the sneer from Snape, the two made their way into Madam Pomfrey's office.
"Looks like we all are on the same page." Sirius muttered.
"How so, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked.
"We are planning an intervention with Aeryn after dinner tonight." Remus replied.
"About bloody time." They heard Snape say.
"We were wondering, maybe with your assistance Madam Pomfrey, we could perhaps find out if anything is wrong with her." Remus explained.
"Of course I will." Madam Pomfrey replied.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
It would seem that Aeryn's potion had finally kicked in by the time Sirius and Remus returned with Madam Pomfrey.
"What did you have to do James, knock her out to get her here?" Sirius asked.
"She took five times the amount of a sleeping draught." James explained.
"Why didn't she just take Draught of the Living Death," Madam Pomfrey said, "If she had taken anymore there would be no difference."
"She said she took it over an hour ago."
"That's impossible." Madam Pomfrey said as she rushed to the couch Aeryn was lying down. "Sleeping draughts work instantly."
Madam Pomfrey worked on Aeryn for ten minutes. "Well there is nothing we can do now. We'll have to wait until she wakes up. I am excusing her from all her classes. She can stay here for now, but I want her in the Hospital Wing as soon as possible tomorrow."
"Is there something wrong?" Lily asked.
"I can't tell right at this moment, but there is defiantly something wrong." She replied, "I don't claim to know that much about a person's mind." After that she left.
Shortly after that Harry, Ron and Hermione were told to go to their dorms, they couldn't do anything for now.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
The next morning Harry and Hermione stopped by to see how Aeryn was before breakfast. They knocked on the door several times, but there was no answer. Harry tried to go into the apartment but for some reason he could not.
Figuring that they were in the Hospital Wing, Harry and Hermione headed there next. Still, there was no sign of them. Just as they were about to leave they saw movement from one of the curtains.
It was Aeryn. She saw them and smiled. It was probably one of the first smiles they had seen on her in a while.
"Hey guys," Aeryn called to them.
"What's going on?" Harry asked.
"Oh, everything's fine now. Clean bill of health, get to go to my classes and everything." Aeryn replied.
"So what was wrong?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, stupid me, it's highly unstable to have two sets of memories in one's head. I just had bottle Jade's memories up. So they are out of my head now."
"So you are ok now?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine now. Let's go down to breakfast." Aeryn said as she walked down the hall. Harry and Hermione looked at each other still skeptical, but could do nothing but follow.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Meanwhile, back at the Potter's residence.
"What's wrong with this door?" Lily, James and Sirius had been trying to get the door open all morning. Lily let James and Sirius deal with it as she put a cool cloth on her daughter's forehead.
"Her fever won't go down." Lily told James and Sirius. James even tried the windows, but something was keeping them locked in.
*
A/N P.S.--- Is you jaw hanging?????? Evil clifie!!!
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