Scuffing Away

[Jane Till]

Jane scuffed her feet along the polished floor one Sunday afternoon. She was bored of doing homework (and she had finished it all) so she was wandering the hallways aimlessly. Her blond hair was resting straight against her green cashmere sweater. Her jeans were dark and a contrast to her white converse. She passed a nearby window and saw a lovely view of the lake.

She kept walking and a ways down the hall she spotted a window box. As she continued walking, she felt her foot connect with a sharp piece of metal and down she went. Her head hit the floor with a loud SMACK and she could swear she heard the suit of armor giggling.

She sat up, still seeing stars, and rubbed a forming bump on her head. She attempting to stand up, but her legs gave out, unwilling to move. She sighed and lay back onto her back, waiting for the stars to disappear.

[Regulus Black]

Regulus had gone back to Hogwarts to meet with Dumbledore in the afternoon, wrapping up a few loose ends. Ever since he and Adriana had come out of hiding, Regulus felt strange walking through the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...or Diagon Alley...or even the familiar lanes of Hogsmeade. Regulus was in the school to give Dumbledore a few more names, of the more dangerous of his former peers. Not to put them in Azkaban, but to make sure that they didn't cause any problems now that the Dark Lord had been defeated.

He rounded the corner, heading for the familiar old gargoyle statue that hid the entrance to Dumbledor'es office. He'd once sat watch in the alcove immediately across the hall from said statue with Severus Snape, when they'd both been taking the Dark Lord's orders. Before he could get too far down the hall, though, he saw a young Gryffindor girl lying across the floor with a hand on her head.

"Are you alright?" Regulus asked, stopping next to her and kneeling to see if she was conscious. "Hold on for a second, I'll go and get Dumbledore and get you to the Hospital Wing." He freed his wand from his pocket, starting to stand and walk towards the headmaster's office again.

[Jane Till]

Jane's vision swirled as a man came into blurry view. She cocked her head slightly, winced after she did it, and started at the man, wondering if he was really there or if she was merely unconcious. Then she heard him speak, although to her it sounded as if she was underwater. 'Hold on for a second, I'll go and get Dumbledore and get you to the Hospital Wing' She reached her hand out unsteadily as he removed his wand from his pocket. "Don't attack," she mumbled. She pushed herself over to the nearest wall and sat up against it. "I'm Jane Till," she whispered. "Gryffindor sixth year. I'm just too clumsy for my own good."

She looked at the man that stoof next to her. He seemed too old to be a student at Hogwats but also young enough to be a recent graduate. She then attempted to stand up while stressing to the man that, "It will not be necessary for me to go to the hospital wing," but as her legs still refused to support her. Her head started to spin again and she clasped a hand to the now massive bump of the back of her head. She looked at him defeated, seated once again on the stone cold floor. "Ok, you're right. I need help."

[Regulus Black]

Regulus frowned at her. "I'm not going to attack," he said, confused. The girl sat up against a wall and introduced herself. She didn't look like a sixth year, but then, all the kids at Hogwarts looked younger to Regulus than they should have. He figured that graduation still hadn't sunken in just yet. Straightening, he looked over at her and said, "Regulus Black, Jane. Former Slytherin...you remind me of someone I know, it's alright."

As she began to deny his offer to take her to the hospital wing, Regulus raised a skeptical brow. Before he had to say anything, the girl agreed. "Good. It won't help my image with Dumbledore at all if I left one of his students injured in a corridor in my haste to get to our meeting. Think you can walk?" he asked. Kneeling, he said, "Episkey," tapping her head with the end of his wand. Frowning at the girl, he said, "You shouldn't be dizzy any more...but let's get Pomfrey to check you out anyway."

[Jane Till]

Regulus introduced himself and Jane nodded. She then looked at him through half-open eyelids. "Who do I remind you of?" She then closed her eyes as she saw him advance at her with his wand. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but she still didn't want to see what he did. After she heard him murmer 'Episky', she opened her eyes as the throbbing in her head subsided.

"Thank you." Jane was much more alert now. Her eyes weren't as clouded and confused. She was still a little weak and unsteady but she could focus and, after testing each leg, was able to support herself. As she leaned on the wall she spoke softly. "It's much better now. Thanks again." She then gave him a small curtsy. "I shall be in your service." She gave him a small smile. "Lead the way to the hospital wing."

[Regulus Black]

He smiled lightly. "I know a former Gryffindor pretty well that could get herself into some manner of trouble even if there wasn't anything in the room to do it with," he said, fondly thinking of his girlfriend, who was able to stay at home and sleep the morning away until their daughter decided to get out of bed. Regulus wasn't going to start bragging about Katie to kids though...he simply changed the subject. "That should have cleared up any pain you were experiencing..."

Jane's clearer 'Thank you' told Regulus that his healing charm had worked as it was intended to. He watched the girl stand and evaluate herself, leaning against the wall. Frowning as, in what he felt was a very peculiar action, she curtsied and offered her services like a House Elf, Regulus was taken aback again by her smile. His reactions were internalized, however, and so he was able to reply, amused, "I think you'd better lead the way and I'll follow to make sure you don't fall down the stairs. Hogwarts always had a way of shifting itself around...I haven't been here in a very long time." Though it was something of an exaggeration...Regulus had been a student only a few years ago. But it felt so much longer--so many things had happened. And Katie had less than ten years before she'd be going there herself...it was difficult to think of his history chronologically and relative to the time that actually passed without feeling older than he was. Perhaps it had something to do with defying a wizard that had murdered thousands of innocents, and living to talk about it.

[Jane Till]

Jane's head had almost stopped throbbing completely and now she just needed to concentrate on her legs supporting her body. She forgot about her current state and let go of the wall. After stumbling, she became curious when Regulus compared her to a former Gryffindor without stating the name. "Who is she?"

As Regulus joked about having to follow her to watch her clumsyness, Jane glared at him. “I do not need to be watched. I can walk just fine thank you. I just,” She paused trying to remember exactly what she had been doing when she tripped, “wasn’t watching where I was going.” As he then mentioned not being at Hogwarts she looked quizzically at him. “If you aren’t a student, then what are you doing here?”

As Jane realized how demanding she sounded, she blushed. “Ignore that.” She sheepishly looked at the floor, she hadn’t meant to sound rude, but things tended to come out of her mouth before she realized how they sounded.

[Regulus Black]

He hesitated a moment. Regulus didn't really like the fact that everyone he spoke to ended up hearing about Katie and Adriana. But then he told himself that everyone did this...eventually. His parents had just been pureblooded lunatics. "Adriana Bell, same class as me. 79," he explained. "She was House seeker then. I played the same position for Slytherin. Made it interesting," he grinned.

He laughed when Jane began to defend herself, shaking his head. "No, I'd rather not let you get there on your own and have Dumbledore called away in the middle of our meeting because you're being eaten by trolls or you've fallen down a flight of stairs and cracked your head open, or something. Seeing her quizzical expression, he shrugged. "I'm here to speak with Dumbledore..." Regulus stopped, not finishing the thought because he suddenly realized that he probably shouldn't tell a student what the conversation would be about. Anyone could know anyone these days, and luck would have it that he'd be turning her Jane's father, or her boyfriend, or her uncle, and she'd tip them off, and Regulus's name would be out as an informant for the Order. It wouldn't be hard for anyone to attack he and Adriana in their relatively muggle flat.

He waved one hand. "I live with two girls, I understand," he teased.