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Tweak says, "s3 hair owns my soul."

Penelope Clearwater (clearpenny) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2011-10-26 23:19:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: october 31 2003, character: harry potter, character: penelope clearwater

Who: Penelope Clearwater and Harry Potter
What: Penelope wonders if she has gone mad.
Where: St. Mungo's; Waiting room.
When: October 31 - 13:00

It was a morning where Penelope had woken up with a start, her pulse racing and a sweat trickling down her forehead. For the first while she wouldn't--couldn't--get out of bed, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting that someone was there. It was just a dream, I'll be alright, she told herself repeatedly. It felt as though her right hand was particularly sore or something, or maybe it was her imagination, or maybe it was her memory. It took her the better part of the morning and it was only by the early afternoon that she had gotten herself out of bed, dressed and fed. Maybe Llyod was right, maybe she did need to get help--the thought passed and she shook her head to herself. "I'm not mad," she said to herself in the mirror before she brushed her teeth.

An hour later, she had arrived at St. Mungo's having decided that her hand was sore enough to merit a visit to the hospital to have it checked. Maybe she'd ask the Healer in a non-chalant manner about her dreams. Just to see what he or she thought about the whole matter. Where dreams supposed to be that vivid? That real? Or was she going mad? And not to mention, there was an odd black spot that wrapped its way around her right wrist and forearm.

She sat in the waiting room, having taken a number from the roll that sat on a desk where an overly happy, petit witch sat and read a novel between filing papers, and answering telephone calls. Penelope forgot to bring her own book, but knew that she hadn't the ability to focus on anything right now. Instead she had taken to counting the number of letters on an edition of Witch's Weekly that sat in her lap.

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ilivedtwice
2011-10-28 02:16 pm UTC (link)

Harry tilted his head and approached, noting her body language. She seemed...well, not all right, to him. "You sure? I mean, you look as though you've got something bothering you." It was the best way he could think to put it. He didn't know if something was physically wrong, or if it was, like a number of people, related to these nightmares, but it was pretty clear to him she wasn't as all right as she was pretending to be.

It was probably rude to pry, but Harry had gotten in the habit, quite young, of asking questions he probably shouldn't and expecting answers. "I should know. I've seen that same expression on my own face in the mirror the last two days."

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clearpenny
2011-10-29 04:11 am UTC (link)

Penelope looked at Harry for a good moment realizing that someone--Harry--finally caught her poorly held together disguise. And was quite accurate in their assessment of the situation. "I--well--" A tear fell from her eye and then the dam was broken. She started crying then and there in the waiting room.

Normally something that she would've been utterly mortified of making such a scene, but she was far too tired and emotionally taxed to care at that point. "I'm sorry--" "I couldn't sleep..." "It was terrible..." She spoke only fragments between her sobs, covering her face and wiping her tears with her left hand.

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ilivedtwice
2011-10-29 07:12 pm UTC (link)

Well Harry certainly hadn't expected that. Penelope had just broken down, almost completely. Concern rushing through him, Harry sat down next to her, resting on hand on her shoulder. As soon as she said she couldn't sleep, though Harry focused on that. "Nightmares? Did you have terrible nightmares last night as well?" It seemed like everyone had had them two nights ago, but only some had the night before.

His had been horribly disturbing, in a different way from the night before. he wondered if she'd suffered something similar.

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clearpenny
2011-10-30 01:15 am UTC (link)

Eventually Penelope had gotten a bit more of a grip on herself that she was able to answer Harry's question about the nightmares. "I hadn't slept the night before, and last night I dreamt of someone cutting my fingers off. It reminded me of--" she couldn't even bring herself to speak about what it reminded her off. Instead she looked at the floor and started to compose herself by counting the speckles on the tile.

Once she had her breathing in check she spoke again, significantly more clearly and much less hysterically. "It wasn't a memory though, it clearly was a dream, despite how realistic it was. There was someone I obviously loved and trusted there, but I can't remember who it was--just the expression on his face spoke to that."

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ilivedtwice
2011-10-30 07:09 pm UTC (link)

Penelope didn't have to say what it reminded her of. Harry knew what muggleborns had been through during that year. He hadn't been there, obviously, but he knew. The fact that Penelope's dreams were bad enough to remind her of that, it made Harry's stomach twist.

"I had the same sort of dream," he said quietly. He wasn't sure if she'd feel any better knowing she wasn't alone, but he thought it might help. "I couldn't sleep either." He squeezed her shoulder, his eyes following hers down to the tiles. "Could you see anyone? make out any faces?"

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clearpenny
2011-10-31 01:07 am UTC (link)

Penelope looked up at Harry's profile, in a rather concerned manner. "Are you suggesting that there's something going on?" Her voice was hushed and she returned to looking at the tiles once more. "I just saw a man--I don't know what he looked like, but I just knew that I loved him-- And he wouldn't stop." She felt herself get wound up once more, her voice shaking as she spoke of her feelings towards the unknown person in the dream. It reminded her of feelings she held towards Percy, probably the only person she had felt as strongly for, and had felt as strongly betrayed.

She took a deep gulp and wiped her eyes once more, even though tears hadn't yet fallen again. "I'm sorry--I can't remember anything else about him. I just knew that I felt strongly drawn to him, and then feelings of betrayal."

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ilivedtwice
2011-10-31 01:14 am UTC (link)

Harry shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but you and I aren't the only ones, I know that much." He squeezed her shoulder gently, and replied, "That's all right. you don't need to go into any more detail." He pursed his lips though, dark brows furrowing. "May I ask why you're here? At St. Mungo's, I mean?" A Calming Draught or sleeping potion were easy enough to obtain elsewhere; she must have had some other concern to bring her to the hospital.

Harry wasn't sure he should press for more answers, not if it was going to disturb her, but he needed to know more. Something was going on, and he only had bits and pieces to put together so far.

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clearpenny
2011-10-31 01:53 am UTC (link)

Penelope looked around at first before moving her right wrist to her lap. "I well--I'm here since my hand is sore," she said, gesturing to it with her left hand. She had barely ever let any non-medical staff have a look at it.

She rolled up the sleeve to her elbow to reveal her hand, which was in a neutral position, with extensive scarring a bit further up her forearm. "I woke up and it was sore. And I'm worried that somehow it got infected just since that blackened area wasn't there until this morning when I woke up," she said, referring to the black spot on her wrist, between the scarring and the wrist itself. "Its been healed for a long time though. It was from over five years ago, when they didn't want me to write anymore nonsense."

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ilivedtwice
2011-10-31 02:32 am UTC (link)

Harry's eyes dropped to her wrist...and he stared. He didn't mean to, but the black spot on her wrist looked just like the one on his arm. It was shaped differently, yeah, but it as more the fact that she said it had only shown up this morning that concerned him.

Sliding up his sleeve left sleeve, she showed her is arm, bare and unmarked, except for a black spot that wound its way around up toward his elbow. It was a bit higher than where Dark Marks used to reside, and its proximity had made him nervous. "I woke up this morning with this," he replied, his voice as carefully even as he could possibly make it.

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clearpenny
2011-10-31 02:54 am UTC (link)

Penelope felt uncomfortable when Harry stared at her hand and wrist. That was the exact reason she didn't let anyone look at her hand that had been damaged during the war.

She was about to rather tearfully comment about how horrible it was, and to roll down the sleeve when she realized why he was staring. He had revealed his own black spot. It was then the bottom of her stomach just felt as if it dropped out.

"Oh god," she said under her breath in surprise, before her eyes darted up to his green eyes to try to search them for his thoughts on the matter. "What do you think this means?"

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ilivedtwice
2011-11-01 01:12 pm UTC (link)

Harry exhaled, growing more concerned by the minute. To be honest he noticed and mostly dismissed her scars from the war; everyone had them and though hers could be called gruesome, it had been what drew his attention. He met her gaze and replied, "I don't know, but I don't think it means anything good. Does it hurt at all? Does the skin feel any different? Does anything happen to it besides it just being a black spot?"

There was nothing unusual about Harry's - no burning, no changing nothing at all. There was merely a black spot...like he was marked for something. Like Penelope.

He glanced around to see if anyone was overhearing them, but everyone was too busy with their own thoughts. His attention back on Penny, Harry wondered what he could do to to ease her mind, as well as his own.

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clearpenny
2011-11-02 02:09 am UTC (link)

"No--or I'm not too sure. My wrist is sore today, but I often find it sore." The Healers had trouble with figuring out what or why she had so much trouble with her wrist. They had run a battery of tests and examinations on it and found nothing physically wrong with it--or at least nothing that would suggest that there should be pain.

"I don't feel pain on the actual spot itself: it hasn't grown, felt hot, or stung...it's just there." She did notice how concerned Harry seemed to be about the spot. It didn't make her feel any better, but his otherwise calm demeanor kept her from outright panic. "Does anyone else have this sort of thing?"

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ilivedtwice
2011-11-02 06:33 pm UTC (link)

Harry pressed at the black spot on his arm. "I don't feel anything different with mine. It's more just concern than anything. I woke up with it this morning after nightmares of being tortured. Even if it doesn't hurt that's enough to seem strange." Harry hadn't actually asked if anyone else had one. He should have asked Hermione earlier but he'd been focused on Zurlo, on nightmares, and later on Pandora.

"I don't know, but that might be something to look into. It may not be a much to worry about, but-" But he couldn't see it as anything good. Harry very nearly moved to rub at his eyes again, between having had that nightmare and his hand going to his head being ingrained in him by now as a response to worry. But he stayed his had and just rolled back down his sleeve. "It might be nothing of concern," he added, though he wasn't really sure.

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clearpenny
2011-11-06 01:17 am UTC (link)

"Maybe," Penelope said looking worried nonetheless. It wasn't any more worry than she would normally would feel, but it still made for a great deal of discomfort. "I wonder what all this means," she said, really at a loss. "If it does mean anything at all."

The witch at the desk called #157, and Penelope noting that she had that number she stood up. "That's me. It was good to see you Harry. I hope we do meet again under better circumstances. Let me know if you figure out what's going on."

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ilivedtwice
2011-11-06 01:58 pm UTC (link)

Harry shook his head. "I don't know yet, Penelope, but I'll do my best to find out. Take care of yourself, all right?" He watched as she got up when her number was called and he stood himself. "I'd better get back to the office anyway," he added, despite the fact that he had the day off.

"I hope so as well," he replied and started back out. He had a lot more to think about now, and he definitely needed to make note about those strange black spots. Sounds like he had more to talk to Hermione about again.

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