James followed Professor Lawson, as he had said. He looked at him. "Professor, would you like me to wait in the waiting room?" He didn't want to be here, he just wanted to get the talk about his "problem" over with.

"Hello Professor Lawson." Iliana said, as if they were meeting over tea. "Lovely to see you as well."
The professor watched calmly as Marcus' frustrations seemed to grow. She knew exactly how he felt having been in his shoes so often last term. Jake... was well JAKE.

And now Jake was getting carried away again. So Iliana stepped forward, smiling at both, Marcus and Caroline. Then she offered Jake her hand.

Breathing furiously, Jake scowled at the wall opposite him. Too many adults... too many tall people. Jeez, this was so GRRRRRR. "Not going," he said again, turning to Professor Morgan and clinging onto the hand she offered.

If she couldn't persuade him, nobody could. "Don't make me go... It's a trap... It's a trap... he's there, he's going to get me..." he gabbled, gripping hard on the sleeve. "They're trying to get me... don't make me go!" Jake urged through gritted teeth, emphasizing the last word, his eyes crazy.

Begging... often helped. "Please," he whispered, getting up and kneeling on the bed, squeezing her hand. He'd go... if they stopped being so scary. "Don't let him drag me..."

Marcus re-entered the hospital ward and he was almost tempted to call out, 'honey I'm home' but decided he had better not. Caroline was going to bust a gut when she saw her waiting room. Well the least he could do was get Jake out of her hair.

"Mr Upstead, I am not going to tell you again. Get out of that bed and down to the dueling arena. NOW!" He very rarely raised his voice but he was at his wits end with these kids and they all seemed to be Hufflepuffs. "And I swear if you defy me again, you will be facing a detention." It was a hollow threat because he really didn't feel like doing another detention.

Marcus looked over to Professor Morgan and smiled. "My apologies Iliana, for raising my voice like that but..."he shrugged his shoulders..."nothing else seems to be working. You know I must come down by your hut some time." May as well organise his social life while he was here.

Evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. Nasty. Evil. Tall. People. EVIL.

"Fine," Jake muttered, taking a deep breath. The very last thing he wanted was more detention, especially with tryouts so close. "Fine. Fine. Fine," he added, fighting the urge to whimper. He spoke only to distract himself.

Slowly, Jake released his hold on Professor Morgan's hand, casting a frightened look back at her. He climbed down from the bed, walking with small steps towards Professor Lawson, eyes cast down, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Pausing at the door, he glanced back uncertainly. Was Kazi waiting to pounce when he was alone?

Iliana squeezed Jake's hand reassuringly but refused to give in to his paranoia. "Jacob, get up calmly and there'll be no need for dragging." Argh! She wished that he would stop making this so much harder for himself.
"Not at all Marcus. Sometimes a firm hand is in order." She said, tickled that he felt the need to apologize. She knew better than to question another professors method. Then she smiled. "By all means, please do." Then she thought of the state of her hut 99.9% of the time and offered an alternative. "Of course, I don't get around the castle nearly enough. Maybe I'll find some excuse to stop in to see you."
Thank heavens!! He was finally going. Mad props to Marcus Lawson!! "You're going to be fine Jake." She said. "Come and see me afterwards if you need to talk." That was... if he had any free time at all. Kazimeriz would probably keep him over now for making him wait.

Leaning against the doorframe, Jake nodded solemnly. "Okay... I'll need to write to my dad and tell him about all this... he'll have to find out, and I want to tell him before Reese gets the chance..." And maybe I can tweeeeak the events. "Sorry... for being so much trouble," he added, mumbling to the ground, biting his lip.

Diane woke up in a cold sweat. Alas, she hadn't had much of a peaceful sleep. In fact, it felt as if the hole that had swallowed her decided to spit her out.

Her skin tingled uncomfortably. An image, in her dreams, filled her with an uncomprehensible frail and scared notion, and it wouldn't leave her. It must be the fever; she was cold. Ah, she was still wearing damp robes. Her head fell to the side; she was... on the ward, of the Hospital Wing. She looked around, at the neat beds and at the silent spacious chamber filled with nothing. As such perceived by her eyes. She couldn't help it that this place made her feel small and sick. The Slythering Girls' Dorms were the same.

Guess she couldn't help despising that place.

She didn't try to sit, not because she remembered of the possible poison that may or may not take her life. It was that, her heart wouldn't be silenced with anything. The thing she saw in her sleep. It was so imponent, yet sad.

It made her puzzled and...

Breathing out, she reminded herself she should be relieved she hadn't been victim of a sudden death, or fallen into a comma during her unexpected sleep. That ruled out most of the most dangerous poisons, she recalled. Along with no visible skin rash... She turned on her side, only starting to recall. Those people... those people. Did they saw her hurt and just let her drift aimlessly through poisoned waters? They were no help. Even the man who helped her, so unfeeling, unsympathetic. This much neglect. What was wrong with these people?! No, what would she do was the real question.

Uncomfortable, she sat up at last, and was suddenly now aware of pain on her wandarm. A sore shoulder from tension, and her hip where she had bumped into the suit of armour. Most importantly, the cold made her fast to forget about preventive meassures and she hasted for a cover. She had the distinctive impression, did she not get warm soon, death with the face of the thing in her dream would come for her. She stripped from her shoes and socks and wrapped her hands around her naked feet. Coming to Hogwarts had been a change for her; something about it was unsettling her.

Alessia came into the ward and transfigured her robes into a something more appropriate. Nurses robes. It was a little Slytherin in the ward. She went to look at the chart but not much was written. "Miss Entelequia... what seems to be the problem sweety?"

The clipping sound of shoes attracted Diane's attention forwards. A new women had walked into the ward. Diane didn't recall her from before. That fact made Diane feel a greater affinity; considering her deteriorating views on the rest of the staff as of now, that was not saying much.

"I believe the other nurse was going to run a few tests on me," or at least she should, "for long-term exposure to the toxic water that it rapidly raising at the dungeons floor. Can you do that yourself I hope?" She paused to consider. "This... older professor mentioned the possibilities of poisons in the water -- could that be -" she frowned "- the Potions professor?"

Hopefully not... "Maybe it would be required that we ask him what kind of potions did he store down there." At that point, she noticed her hands were still around her cold foot. It was kind of impolite, thus she removed them. "Could I make a request of you?" she asked suddenly. "Could you provide me with dry clothes?"

To state reasons, she demonstrated by raising her arms with wet black plaids hanging and clincking onto them. Movement that brought upon her a strange sensation, as little and large bubbles of air started to form.

"It is my first time at Hogwarts," she added too, looking for all you know composedly defeated and tired. "I never thought that the castle would experience leaks."

"Oh of course," she said summoning a dry hospital gown and a cozy robe with fluffy slippers. "Here you are." and handed her the items. "You may change behind the curtain over there."

Alessia turned around and went to a cabinet and pulled some wizarding equipment, and waited for the girl. "I will conduct the testing, I am fully aware of the potions that were leaked into the water. I will be giving you a sleeping draught, so you will not need to be awake for the tests. I am a trained healer... I even went through my first year of residency. So you are same hands." She told her trying to reassure the girl.

Changing was a quick endeavor, she could not be fast enough to get off the soapy robes, hindered only by, well... she was still feeling a bit out of the weather. It wasn't exactly the warmest she had been, but she thought the slippers were a nice touch.

Diane regarded the woman with a polite, hearted smile and a look of underlying incomprehension. "I will trust you do, thank you." She tilted her hand, "but is there any chance I could watch through the proceedings? I'm curious about them."

Alessia looked a little surprized. "Miss Entelequia, Diane... part of the reason you will be put under is some of these tests are painful and you may move." She said sitting on her bed and patting beside her. "I'll keep you awake for some, but not all, does that sound fair?" She asked the girl with a smile and caressing her chin.

"I'll not move, but that sounds ideal," she conceded, laying down. Her skin felt a lot more sensitive since she took that potion, but she trusted to have the same control over her body. Sure she could stop herself from convulsing if she tried and concentrated.

Once settled, her hands over her stomach only a feeble demonstration of discomfort, she stated, "I'm ready. Do you mind explaining while you run these tests?" Possibly, she did not need asking.

"Of course darling," She withdrew her wand and cast a coating spell.

"I'm coating your skin with something that will feel a little sticky. It's caripentiminer... it'll serve two purposes, it'll absorb the toxins on your skin and once it's off it'll show me where the toxin was taken in by your pores. It will feel warm. Be still please." She said letting it ooze from her wand onto her arm and watching it as it began to cover her.

It was in fact a discomforting feeling. She felt it, slick against her skin, slipping on her sides. She kept true to her words, though, and remained unmoving. It was an easy task for now.

This subtance, as descripted, did sound like a good preventive meassures. Diane had not heard of it. "Is it a herbal compound?" she asked when the woman was nearly finished, haing failed to see it was coming out of her wand. Her position laying on her back was a bit unfit for observation.

"No..." she said unwilling to share with the child the origin of the substance she was conjuring. "Think of it as... candle wax." She finished the coating of the child "Alright... you'll need to answer me this. Is the 'wax' too hot? I'll need to cover your face next... so be aware."

"I don't think it is," Diane answered looking up with, as far as you know, a calm smile or a doll-unexpressive kind of look. She closed her eyes at last, waiting for the woman to apply this wax. Maybe for the first time with this woman, she felt uneasy.

The substance started to feel like a kind of cocoon around her. And the moment she felt the shadow over her closed eyes, she tensed. This impulse seized her. From then on, she struggled with conflicting emotions: these strong instincts, to leave this situation, and the rational part of her head that said there was nothing to fear, she shouldn't move at all.

Her breath came much too ragged, she clenched her teeth and was visually stiff, but still. Just looking at her would give you muscular pains.

She substance covered the girls face leaving two holes for her nostrils. The wax came from above her eyes and forced her eyelids shut. "Diane, you're tensing, if you start moving I'm going to have to sedate you..." Her voice was sweet, and tender, "I know it's scary... just keep your eyes closed and I promise it'll be over soon." She said watching the substance cover the girl's head and hair.

She changed her gloves now, using a tempature controlled pair. They were cold, as to not re-melt the waxy ooze, now drying over the girl. "I am going to begin at the lips and then move to the eyes, get that doen and over with first, I'll be using a severing charm to cut some areas and pull them off, so please don't move or I will cut your skin. It won't be a problem as, I can heal you before it even begins to hurt, the problem will be when the blood touches the 'wax.' I'll have to start again... and then I'll put you under. So don't move." She said and began to cut around the girl's lips.

She breathed out and the muscles or her arms and legs apparently gave out, as limp as they could be. Visibly. Hopefully enough to allow the other woman to relax and proceed.

From her perspective, she was feeling like the wax-thing was pulling at her skin as it contracted and hardened. It was awfully like wax. A feeling she particularly disliked. Ah, yes, being a woman was some times so needlessly problematic...

Ah, just tell her she won't begin pulling at the wax with a zap. Not when she had that thing over her eyes. Will she end up with a complete body-wax baldieness glow? Eyelashesless? Eyebrowless? Wonders how that would look on her...

But in the end it was more like shaving, that with the cutting spell. Because she didn't move, because she hardly flinched, the woman could cut away at own leixure. If you saw closely enough, barely perceivable, she was still tense in the shoulders. But it was by a completely different reason.

Alessia had removed the wax from the girls face and neck. "Good girl..." She said smiling and starting on her arms. "Tell me, Miss Entelequia, what's your favorite subject here at the school." She said and she continued removing the hardened substance.

Diane was still facing up and staring at the ceiling. "That would be Potions, miss." She became suddenly silent to consider... "I'm sorry, I don't think I've caught your name?"

She continued to observe, though it was a very awkward position to be and not good for her neck, how this person continued to remove the wax little by little. "I guess I won't have hairy armpits after this."

Alessia smiled. The child was funny. "I'm Professor Lupa." She said as she continued working on the girl. "I'm the Ancient Runes professor. Miss Entelequia, what year are you?" She asked not answering the armpit hair question. The kid didn't realize the substance had covered 100% of her skin... scalp included. A hair regrowing potion would fix it... but still, any girl would be frightened to be fully hairless, head included.

Diane blinked, putting her hands back over her stomach once the woman was finished. "Oh are you the Ancient Runes professor?" she repeated and frowned, "I'm sorry to make you go through this procedures to treat me; it seems it's a bit beyond your obligations." She paused to consider, "First year. I'm afraid I haven't been in your class yet."

Well, she was feeling cold. She put her arms around her now they were free. The area of her scalp felt specially unprotected. She felt the eyes of the professor go that area, and felt it up with her hand. And...

Put her hand back to her stomach. "It doesn't bother me," she said simply. Kind of reassuringly. Unnervingly calm even. "If I can go along in this unprotective nightgrown for this kind of procedure, going baldie isn't going to be so embarrassing."

Twisting around seeking for warmth with a toothy smile made her look even smaller and younger and childish, which made the answer even more... freakishly cute.

(ooc: LOL! No, you have a nightgown on remember?)

Alessia smiled, "It's alright... I'd rather be here helping you than getting the water splashed on me." Well... Less was a Slytherin. She continued removing the dried wax and putting the pieces in the basin by the bed. "I hope to see you in my class in a few years... Alright. Drink this." She said tipping a vile of potion onto her lips.