Bulletin Board

[Laylend McDowel]

Laylend sighed, closing his eyes for a bit as he swallowed the shock and the worry that had lodged itself in his throat. He opened them, surveying the scenery; nearly all the beds filled, and more injured students pouring in by the second. Some of these injuries were worrisome enough to warrant a need for the hospital itself, some of them were only minor but still needed attending as fast as possible. There was scarcely enough room and poor Madame Pomfrey looked as though she was about to run herself ragged.

Laylend took a deep breath, pointing his wand firmly in the direction of the only empty corner of the hospital wing. It obediently expanded itself a good fifteen feet and filled up with beds and fresh, clean linens. That ought to hold for now.

"McLaggen, Couberly, and, um...you," Laylend said gesturing in the direction of a group of students who appeared unhurt. "You've just been promoted. McLaggen and Couberly, you're seventh-years, right?"

Both students nodded the affirmative.

"All right then. Take anybody still mobile who needs attention into one of the empty classrooms and use any healing spell you can think of. Don't try anything you don't know -- but you've got Episkey, right?"

Another set of nods.

"Good. Off with you then. I need this place cleared out. You-" he turned to the student whose name he couldn't remember. "Go and get Madame Pomfrey a Pepper-Up potion, will you?"

[Claire Rivers]

Becky had broken her ankle while running off to hide from the Death-Eater. So after leaving Tara with Fang at Hagrid's, the two girls went up to the hospital wing. There Becky's broken ligament was splinted and she was given a dose of medicine. After a brief set of instructions, she was turned over to the care of her third-year cousin, both of whom went back to the Gryffindor dormitory.

The third-year had produced some dry, albeit ill-fitting, robes for Claire who remained behind in order to help the overworked hospital personnel and their volunteer recruits. Apparently her brother, Padraig, was hit by a stray leg-locker curse, had been treated, and went back to the village with one of the professors and several other students to aid the wounded in making it to the castle.

"Go and get Madame Pomfrey a Pepper-Up potion, will you?"

An anxious-looking Ravenclaw darted quickly past her. “Laylend!” she said, upon seeing the young man in the St. Mungo's robes. She recalled him fondly from her not-so-distant school days but doubted that he remembered her. “How wonderful to see you! Although, under the circumstances…well, is there anything I can do to help?” Her lip was still split and she still itched all over, but all her limbs and internal organs seemed to be in good working order. If she could only remember what happened between leaving work and helping the boy buried under the rubble. She glanced warily at the over-filled hospital wing. “Or perhaps the question is, how can I help you guys?”

Living on a farm for much of her life meant she had plenty of experience with minor injuries. She wouldn’t be much good at helping the more severe cases, several were almost certainly victims of unforgivable curses she’d heard tossed around on her way back. But she could splint a broken bone, dole out medicine, change bandages, and free up the trained medics for more serious cases.

[Robin Addison]

The hallways were chaos and were lined with the sobbing and screaming. Teachers ran back and forth to try and organize the chaos on to manageable bites. All injured individuals were ushered toward the medical wing. Those who couldn't walk were helped. Those who could walk or were reasonably uninjured tried their best to comfort the more wounded. The Death Eaters had come completely by surprise. No one had been ready for this attack and it showed. The black mark in the sky rose up above Hogsmade and it was visible to the castle. The windows complained as their surface was pelted with ice cold rain from the sky. A fitting atmosphere in some regards. It did nothing other then cripple people's moods as they tried their best to cope.

Robin's steps hid a limp as she carried herself toward the Medical Wing. Her form was soaked and the dark crimson of her robes were bloodstained and caked in mud. There were tears in the fabric and it was obvious that she had been in some sort of confrontation. Red beads of blood ran down the corner of Robin's left eye from a jagged cut brought on by wood or glass. Her expression was neutral and her eyes were far off. A passerby would probably only write her off as being in shock but in reality, it was far darker and sinister.

The Medical Wing's doors were open which allowed people to move freely back and forth through the entrance. The cries of the injured sent chills through the air. This was probably one of the last places that Robin would have been if she had a choice. Her eyes scanned the room as she entered. Motionless forms lay in beds while the less injured were given the floor or chairs to occupy. Never did Robin acknowledge them. She walked through the room until she reached the far wall where candles were lit. They were special candles with spells and herbs to help promote healing. The smoke was pungent as Robin approached. Her fingers reached inside of her robs and produced a separate candle.

Robin's hand extended and pressed the wick of the candle against that of another. There the flame glowed brighter before Robin pulled away. The candle was now lit. The smoke that it emitted was a lighter shade then that of the candle. Carefully it was placed behind some of the larger candles so that it would not be easily found and put out. The Gryffindor stood there for a moment before turning to depart. The smoke mingled with the rest of the candles....as Robin walked past the first bed closest to that of the candles, the occupant began to be sick upon the bed. Robin never flinched.

[Joannah Wescott]

What the hell was going on out there? Joannah asked herself in silent fury for about the upteenth time as she helped direct less injured students, or perfectly unharmed ones, out of the way. The Hospital Wing was complete madness, and it was like it wasn't about to stop, either, with the constant income of people. Hell, even people who weren't students were starting to show up at the castle. She was accustomed to dealing with ridiculous amounts of stress, so her features and actions had stayed calm for the most part, even if they looked violently livid every few moments. The simple truth was, yes, a lot of students had made it back to Hogwarts safe, except for the ones that mattered, to her. Where in the hell was Tristan? Mark? Isabel? Ian? That adorable asshole Vankov? That seemingly immortal charm that was Helga wasn't even around, and she would have easily noticed.

She had paused in the middle of moving from one crowded spot in the Wing to the next, when her attention was caught by another student that entered on their own- she seemed hurt. But not so? She was walking almost steadily, blankly, as if on autopilot, through all of the chaos going on around her, toward the back wall. Was the girl in shock? Joannah had noticed the telltale signs of blood on the girl, but then again, almost everyone that walked in was bleeding in someplace or another. A lot of the injuries weren't that serious. She had nearly decided to pursue the Gryffindor student, when strangely, she seemed to produce an object from her robes as she stood beside the lit candles, her features put into more distinct relief by the light coming off the numerous small flames. Something about her just wasn't right, and... wait, she was lighting another candle? The confused Hufflepuff watched her place the newly lit candle among the rest, take another pause, and begin to walk back.

Then- the giveaway. Joannah's eyes widened considerably when the student on the bed closest to the candles was made suddenly ill, and just immediately after that girl had lit- something? Was it a candle? -that was obviously not good. Confusion exploded into alarm and anger, and the tall Hufflepuff darted from her position to intercept the retreating, silent Gryffindor. She didn't know, or care what the girl had done, but it was harmful.

"LAYLEND!" she shouted, not entirely sure where he was- she just knew he was there -hoping to get his attention, "THE CANDLES!" No, it wasn't specific, it did not elaborate "hey, someone's lit a candle and mixed it with the others, it's bad". She had no time for that.

With a furious snarl, Joannah threw one of her fists right at Robin's head just as she was sliding into the student's path, entirely forgetting the existence of her wand. At the same time, she had immediately begun to feel lightheaded, having moved herself so much closer to the back of the Wing.

[Robin Addison]

All of the candles flickered as their smoke spiraled higher in to the vaulted ceilings to create a sort of haze in it's artificial sky-scape. Then again, it seemed to blend in with the thundering and rolling clouds as the enchanted rain fell from the sky only to fade in to nothing as they descended in altitude. A crackle of lightening seemed to be the only clue that the punch was coming.

Robin's eyes widened slightly as she saw a dark form slide in front of her and fly toward her face. Her head leaned back as if to try to avoid it only to receive it almost full force against her left cheek bone. Balance lost, Robin fought to regain it only to crash to the floor after knocking over another student. The other kid gave a scream as they landed on their broken arm. Robin uttered no such sound unless a weak cough fluttered past her lips counted.

The Gryffindor pushed herself up on to her elbows as she tried to force herself to stand. Her legs shook as she did so. Her bowed head did not hide that she was getting sick herself. Robin's thin chest heaved as she pulled her wand from the folds of her robes and turn. She could see people react to the exposure of the wand in such an offensive stance. People were rushing either away from her or to shield others. There was a change in Robin's eye although it lasted only for a brief moment.

"Stupefy."

[Joannah Wescott]

Joannah stood rigid in her place after her blow made contact with Robin's face, sending the Gryffindor to the floor. She didn't care if she'd just attacked a fellow student- it's not as if she hadn't done it before -if it meant keeping the already frightened and wounded students around them safe. The sensation of dizziness and sick contorted her insides painfully, making it hard to focus.

"What in the hell did you light, you TWAT?!" she barked furiously as Robin worked to right herself again, drawing her wand. At the same time, Joannah's hand dove into her robes to locate her own wand.

"Stupefy."

"Protego!" the red sparks had nearly collided into her, deflected up into the mock-sky that was the ceiling by the shield charm that immediately faded again. This student was absolutely mad, she decided, knowing full well that there had to be an underlying cause to Robin's actions and attempt to incapacitate her.. which was already working quite well with the increasing amount of smoke the strange candle was giving off. That was it, the candles. She had been about to send a counter spell at Robin when, instead, she jumped aside and turned her full attention to the candles a short distance behind Robin, pointing her wand forcefully through the air.

"Aguamenti!" she shouted, sending a jet of water through the air, in an attempt to put the candles out before- ... she could already feel her legs threatening to give way from the effects the smoke was having. She had left her defenses wide open at this action, but had silently hoped her change of mind would do more help than harm.

[Robin Addison]

People screamed out as the reflected spell arched over their heads and exploded against the wall in a display of light and sound. The spell had enough force behind it to mar the wall. It showed how much Robin had intended to cause harm to the fellow student. It was Robin's eyes that followed the very beginnings of the spell that Jo unleashed. A snarl curled upon Robin's lips as her wand cut through the air.

"Glacius!" Robin barked as a blast of cold air swept around her originating from her wand. It slammed in to Jo's own attack thus freezing the gushing water solid. The column of ice fell to the floor and instantly shattered sending ice shards every where. The candles upon the table flickered madly as the air was disturbed.

Robin's wand raised as she focused upon Jo's exposed back. She could have not asked for a better target. Her blank eyes narrowed as she drew in breath to utter the desired spell. Her wand started to arch through the air before coming down with a single intended purpose.

"Diffindo!" Robin snarled as she released the spell. However, luck was not on her side. She was in a room with people who too had wands and for those who still had enough sense about them to use it; Robin was outnumbered.

"Expelliarmus." Another student cried and immediately Robin's wand was lost from her gasp. Her spell spiraled out of control and struck an end table right beside where Jo stood. Robin lunged for her wand to get it back. Her fingers had just curled around it as she was taken off guard by a new comer in to the fight.

[Laylend McDowel]

"Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!"

He'd been at the other end of the hospital wing when it began, tending to a student with badly burned knees. It didn't take long for him to notice the sickly sweet scent trickling through the room, and Joannah's loud warning spurred Laylend to movement. Laylend instantly cast spells to both petrify and bind the Gryffindor student. He growled low in his throat in irritation. Not in his sickroom.

The girl was more than likely a victim of the Imperius curse, so he had no intent to hurt her. He did, however, need her out of the way and her damage undone, so with a quick jerk of his wand Laylend made a move intended to shut her up in a nearby supply closet.

The candles...right, the candles. Laylend skidded to a stop and inadvertently inhaled a lungful of the candle's acrid smoke; he coughed a bit and suddenly felt a little queasy. Oh, for the love of-

"AGUAMENTI!"

This time, the water splashed ungracefully over the candles, plunging half the room into darkness and sending water spilling messily onto the floor.

[Joannah Wescott]

"Glacius!"

Joannah gave a furious curse when the water she sent for the candles crashed to the floor in countless bits and shards of ice, only to begin melting again. Any sort of reaction had been slow-thought- the fumes were certainly getting to her, and she'd gone rigid when-

"Diffindo!"

She flinched when the spell struck a bedside table just beside her, but she had heard the cry of "Expelliarmus" that had come just in time. Thank God. Someone else had had sense enough to help. Her entire body was beginning to protest the thought of moving or keeping down the urge to be violently ill. She had barely managed to turn and look when she caught sight of the familiar boy who stood inches taller than everyone else- there was no mistaking him -Laylend.

"Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" - Robin was as good as subdued, even if Laylend possibly failed... there were plenty of people paying attention now. The bitch.

"AGUAMENTI!"

Several angry hisses emitted from the doused candles before their flames lost life, plunging the back end of the Wing into semi-darkness. Joannah heaved a relieved sigh, though the action nearly ended up making her heave literally, and she immediately sank down to the floor to sit, dizzied and ill-feeling. This certainly hadn't helped matters in the Wing.

"Cheers, Laylend," she breathed with forced sarcasm on her face, before leaning back against the end of the bed she sat at, in which an unconscious student lay. Lucky them, she thought bitterly.

[Robin Addison]

Robin's arm raised in preparation to cast another spell, this time she would not miss. Air rushed past her lips as she drew in breath for the needed incantation. That was as far as she got.

"Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!"

Robin's eyes widened as she was struck from behind. Her teeth gritted as her body tried to fight off both spells but it useless. The paralyzing spell felt like cold water flowing down across her skin basically freezing her in place as the feeling spread. Robin's hair hid her eyes as thick coils of rope curled around her body like a snake.

A door slammed shut and locked. Robin was gone. Locked away where she could do no more harm but to herself. The room was completely silent before it all went back to barely contained chaos. Water and half solid wax splattered to the floor where the candles stood. The candle that Robin had lit fizzed and bubbled like acid. It's wax oozed every where and licked away at the wax of the other candles. It was a dark artifact, a poison candle, and it could have certainly done more damage had it not been stopped.