you’ve got a warm heart, you’ve got a beautiful brain [rose]

[Deleted]

Xan hadn't been able to go to dinner that night; her fever had spiked late in the afternoon and hadn't gone down, so Xan had been told to remain on bed rest, away from as much magic as possible, while they waited for the fever to go down. If it came down. Xan knew there wasn't any compelling reason for her to be down in the Great Hall - it was just an anonymous Tuesday in the middle of October - but she hated feeling left out of things. She already couldn't go to any of her classes, except for Muggle Studies, in case of magical interference or some sort of hullaballoo like that. It was becoming extremely annoying to be constrained to the hospital wing, and occasionally the grounds, when her fever wasn't as bad as it normally was. Xan wasn't used to being confined in any way, but the physical confinement wasn't even the worse part. The Muggle medicine they were giving her helped keep her fever down to a manageable level, but it also made her feel slightly groggy, and she hated that her brain wasn't in tip-top condition. It was hard for her even to escape by reading, because she was tired and her brain always seemed to be three steps behind her senses. The only real reprieve she had was when people came to visit her, but Xan wasn't expecting any visitors that particular night.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade

[Deleted]

Since Rose had found out about Scorpius and Ondina, she had buried herself in her studies so to avoid the Slytherin and anyone that came talking to her about him. She was mad. And why shouldn't she be!? He kissed his ex-girlfriend, Rose's cousin after all they had said to one another on the night of the kidnappings? Rose wanted nothing to do with Scorpius Malfoy for the time being, so when dinner was over and she saw him, Rose made a beeline out of the Great Hall so she didn't have to talk to him.

Rose's head was pounding. If it wasn't Scorpius bothering her, then it was her N.E.W.T.s. Plus she was Head Girl this year and they were having a Tri-Wizard Tournament! There was too much to be worried about right now, she realized, as she walked aimlessly through the corridors with no specific destination in mind. Suddenly she found herself outside of the Hospital Wing and it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. Xanthippe! She knew Xan had been staying here in the wing since she hadn't seen her in the common room at all. So, Rose decided to pay her a visit. Being Head Girl, she could stay in there a little bit longer before curfew.

Rose stepped quietly into the Hospital Wing, flashing a smile at Madam Blacksmith who seemed to know exactly why she was there as she pointed directly to Xan's bed. Rose walked over to the blonde with a smile, though seeing her in the bed was a little disheartening. "Hey, Xan."

@xanthippe

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Just because she didn’t expect visitors didn’t mean that Xan wasn’t happy to get them, and she beamed when Rose Weasley approached her bed. It was strange to think of Rose as anything other than her friend, but Xan supposed that, when all was said and done (and if she survived her sickness), Rose would end up as her sister in law. Huh. Xan couldn’t help but smile even brighter at the thought of being related to someone as brilliant as Rose Weasley. “Hey, Rose.” Xan greeted softly, propping her pillows up so it was easier for her to sit up straight. For a moment, Xan was at a loss for conversation. She remembered what Hugo had said over the summer, about her and Scorpius, and was half-tempted to ask about that situation, but Hugo had spoken to her in confidence, and Xan didn’t want to share what they had said with anyone, even Hugo’s sister. Instead, she decided to go a more casual route. “What brings you to this neck of the woods today? Other than me, of course.” That would keep Rose from copping out of answering with something legitimate – people didn’t generally come to the hospital wing just to chatter. Xan was pretty sure that just being in the room helped people face the larger problems in their lives; it was awfully hard to talk about trivial things when the person you were talking to might be dying.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade

[Deleted]

While as disheartening it was to see Xanthippe in the hospital bed, the smile Xan wore when she greeted Rose was enough to make Rose's own smile widen. Rose always appreciated when people could stay smiling even when circumstances weren't so great. Rose moved to take a seat at the chair to the side of Xanthippe's bed as Xan asked her what she was doing on this side of the castle. Rose tried to shrug as nonchalantly as possible. "I needed to take a walk. Clear my head. A lot going on," she replied simply. "Too much going on," she thought to herself before smiling back at Xanthippe. "How are you feeling?" It was probably a question Xanthippe hated to hear at this point, but Rose couldn't help it. She had to know how the girl her brother had feelings for felt. If anything happened to Xanthippe, Rose would be heartbroken. She loved Xanthippe much like a little sister, having grown up with her, and she would be so sad to see Hugo upset. "They treating you well in here?" She tried to add on a joking little statement at the end to stay light hearted.

@xanthippe

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Xan nodded when Rose said that she needed to take a walk to clear her head. Xan couldn’t exactly understand the concept of having a lot going on, since most of her purpose of being at school was defeated by the fact that she could only do work for her Muggle Studies class, but she would offer a friendly ear nonetheless. Rose asked how she was feeling, and Xan flinched away from the question. It was easy to answer on her good days, but on her bad days, Xan felt guilty for saying anything, even when she had been asked. She didn’t want anyone to worry about her. Still, Rose would probably jump to all sorts of horrible conclusions because of her flinch, so Xan was forced to answer. “My fever spiked earlier, so I’m supposed to lie in bed until they can get it down.” What else was new? “I’ve definitely had better days.” Xan said with a sigh. Then, forcing a smile onto her face, Xan looked up at Rose. “They’re treating me just fine.” The nurses were sometimes the best part of Xan’s day. Hugo was always there, of course, but he was a constant, whereas a different nurse looked at her every day. That broke up the monotony a little bit, though not as much as visit’s like Rose’s. “If you want to talk about what’s on your mind…” Xan hedged. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade

[Deleted]

Rose couldn't help the smile on her face when Xan smiled. She was worried for her friend, of course, but Rose knew that as long as Xan was saying she was okay, Rose could trust her enough to not push for more information. Rose settled comfortably into her chair and sank down into it when Xanthippe asked if she wanted to talk about what was on her mind. Rose kind of shrugged in response. "Just. Boys," she said a little dismissively. Rose did want to talk about Scorpius, eventually. But she still wasn't even sure if she could handle telling anyone else about him. Especially after what had happened.

Rose sat up more straight, almost desperate for a subject change. "So, has Hugo been by to see you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

@xanthippe

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Rose didn’t seem all that interested in talking about what was on her mind, and Xan let the topic drop. She knew that a lot of people had boy drama, but frankly, she couldn’t relate. Hugo was her first boyfriend, and he was just about the best thing that had happened to her, so it wasn’t like she could commiserate in the misery. As if reading Xan’s mind, Rose asked about Hugo, and the younger girl nodded. “He comes by most days. We’ll sit together while he does his homework.” And the days where he couldn’t come, for some reason, were few and far between, and normally he would send her a note or something in advance so she could beg someone else to come visit her. “It makes staying in here a little more bearable, I guess.” It still wouldn’t be Xan’s preference, but Hugo kept her in good enough spirits that she never seriously regretted being on bed rest, at least no more than the average person would. “It would be nice if I got a wider variety of guests, though.” Xan wondered if it was rude to hint that she’d like Rose to visit more; she knew the older girl was busy, between being in N.E.W.T. level classes and having Head Girl duties, but it was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t Hugo.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade

[Deleted]

Rose smiled when she thought of Hugo, and that smile widened when she pictured Hugo coming to the Hospital Wing to study and do homework with Xanthippe. The fact that Hugo had someone to keep him happy made Rose happy, even if right now she wasn't in a great place herself. She was beyod happy that those she loved and cared for, were. "That's so sweet," she mused, happily. Rose sat up a little in her seat. "You know, if you don't mind studying and doing homework then, I could come around a bit more." She smiled at the blonde. "Maybe get you up to speed with some N.E.W.T. stuff," she let out a little, playful chuckle.

After Rose settled comfortably back into her chair again, her mind went back to Scorpius and what he had said. His proposition. So, Rose thought of another subject change to get her mind off of the Slytherin. "So, are you... thinking about going to the Yule Ball?" Rose asked. She didn't realize until she had already asked it if Xan could even go, considering her condition, and she nervously bit her lip as she awaited a response.

@xanthippe

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Xan blushed a little when Rose said that it was sweet that Hugo came to visit her. She appreciated it, and thought it was rather sweet herself, but she didn’t know how to respond to that, really. “I never mind studying!” Xan replied. She was a Ravenclaw, after all. “Not sure if I’d be ready for N.E.W.T.s, though.” Xan said with a sigh. She was already pretty sure she was going to have to repeat her sixth year, since she was on track to miss more than half of the year. It was fine, just a little disappointed.

Rose asked Xan if she was going to the Yule Ball, and the younger girl shrugged. “It’s not really my choice.” She admitted. She had to be cleared to go to a party like that, and she doubted the clearance was going to happen anytime soon. “I’ll probably just stay here and dance with Hugo. Just the two of us.” It wouldn’t be as glamorous as twirling around the starry sky of the Great Hall’s ceiling while a band played, but dancing alone with Hugo was infinitely preferable to just sitting around. Besides, she’d rather have a night that she knew would end well than push herself to do too much at the main dance and end up making herself sicker.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade

[Deleted]

Rose always loved studying, so hanging out with a friend who wanted to study with her brought a genuine smile to her face. Especially when that person was a close friend who also may be the object of her brother's affections. "Well, that's ok!" Rose replied cheerily. "I can help you with any work you miss in class. That way, you hopefully won't fall too far behind," she smiled kindly at the blonde.

Rose couldn't help the slight sadness that befell her face at this news, though she quickly erased it from her features. "The ball doesn't sound that fun, anyway, if you ask me," she shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. "I'm trying to get out of it myself, but... my parents are going." She made a face like a slight wince, but she still smiled a bit. She loved her parents, after all. She just didn't want to go for... other reasons.

@xanthippe

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Rose offered to help Xan with any work she missed in class, and Xan’s smile flickered. “You know I can’t do magic, right, Rose?” Xan reminded her god sister gently. Magic just exacerbated her condition, with even the tiniest spells causing Xan’s fever to spike dramatically. It was an easier detail to forget, but it meant that Xan could only work in the theoretical side of magic, which essentially condemned her to falling behind no matter how hard she tried not to. You could only so much without actually performing the spell.

Xan saw the sadness on Rose’s face before her god sister schooled her features back into something more pleasant. “I think that the Ball sounded very fun.” She said with an encouraging smile. “But I’m just going to have to participate in my own way.” Rose said that her parents were coming, and Xan hesitated. “Oh.” Was all she managed to say. “Mine aren’t.” Because neither worked in the Ministry.

Rozalina Antonina Nightshade