Never Again. (Closed)

There it was... right where she left it. The shingles were falling apart, the red-stained wood were rotting, and the glass in the windows were fogged up from age and filth. She could even see a cobweb, and black widow, in the very darkest corner of the porch. This was her home; Madison's. The Head of Ravenclaw. This was Professor Reid's property.

Hogwarts was unsurprisingly empty, save for its remaining staff. The rest of its inhabitants have left for the tournament, leaving room to breathe for the school's teachers. Tests and lessons were no longer to be fussed over. Certain staff members would be attending to other business, things most did not know of. But Madison knew, she knew specifically of how Professor Christensen would be conducting her time off from work. The woman would receive no vacation at all. But did anyone, really? The world would never hold off on any individual person's account. All who were of age knew this.

Why Madison found herself here, and not at a bar or tavern, she could not say. This was the first time she had been physically sober in exactly 4 months, 3 days, and 8 1/2 hours. This was the first time she had been mentally sober in almost her whole life.

Long, she stood there, staring at her dreary home, a distant gaze in her eye, dream-like, unworldly. Her mind was clear, but her body defiant. Finally, after long, drawn-out concentration, she finally stepped forward, stepping slowly up onto the porch, and approaching the door. Close up, she could now see the paint cracked and chipping on the door, of which only weather could have deteriorated in such a way. From her pocket, she drew out a small key, and slid it into the lock. Again, she stood there, frozen in time, before finally finding the nerve to turn the key. She could hear the lock move from its fix with a clunk, and then, almost as if in slow motion, she turned the knob, and then swung the door open, letting it out of her grasp so it would lightly hit the wall. Inside, through the door, was darkness.

She stepped in tentatively, and flipped on the switch. The lamp overhead flickered, and then stayed on, basking the room in a musty glow. More signs of decay were found inside much like the outside. More cobwebs, thick layers of dust, scattered bits of crumbs no doubt left behind by rats. Madison took in the appearance of her living room very carefully, nothing in her mind or emotions stirring. Then, she ascended the creaky steps leading up to the second floor, and to her bedroom. Much was the same throughout the house, but again, she paused in this room as well, before slowly pulling off her coat. The cold air was unsettling at first, but she soon adjusted.

She moved silently into the bathroom, examining the room just like the rest, but making more of an effort to take a course of action. She set things aside, dusted off surfaces, opened a window to allow entrance for some fresh air, improving very little in the room. But then, with a sigh, she withdrew her wand, and slowly moved it over her shower; the tip of her wand illuminated the room for a moment, but then the dirt and grime in the shower melted away, disappearing into the drain, never to be seen again. She turned on the bathroom light and turned on the shower faucet.

After taking about a 15 minute shower, Madison slipped on a robe and returned to her bedroom. The water had been cold and icy against her skin, and her dark hair was still dripping wet. So, she clung to her robe for warmth as she pulled back the covers on her bed and slid in. The bed springs squeaked a protest under her weight, and the top of the covers were coated in a layer of dust, as was everything in the room, but she didn't care. She just needed... sanctuary. She just needed to get away from everything, including her precious alcohol. Since Alexandra had spoken to her, the wine would not satisfy and she could not content herself with wasting her days any longer.

So she sat there, just taking in the wonderful silence, letting her mind drift, and her thoughts wander. She knew, perhaps consciously and subconsciously, that her time was nearing. The time to recompose herself and truly return to the world. She still would not think of what had happened to her the previous summer, but it seemed so long ago. It had become a distant memory, like many other things. Hogwarts was not one of those things, nor was the Order or the Ministry. Those things were still here, in the present.

It was just like when Madison was a child. She could curl up in a corner and pretend it was all just a dream, but that didn't make anything disappear. Her grandfather was still there on the other side of the door. She still had to face her peers at school. And now, she had to return to her responsibilites. She had to return to her students, and eventually, Michelle. The latter, however, was still but a ghost of a thought in the back of her mind.

But yes, it was time. She sat back up in her bed, absentmindedly running her fingers through her soaked hair. For now, this house could do with a bit of cleaning. Now where had she left her wand? She got up and moved to the bathroom. Ah, there it was, sitting on the bathroom sink. She picked it up and set to work.

She did most of the work without magic, and simply used her wand to locate her cleaning supplies. She scrubbed the sink faucet until it shined, she sanitized the floors and window, and cleaned the mirror. She wasn't satisfied until she could see her own reflection, or until the floor was squeaky clean.

She went on in a similar fashion in her bedroom, and stripped off the sheets from her bed to be washed. She sweeped the dusty floors, and drew the curtains from the window, allowing sunlight to penetrate the room.

By the time she was finished, she had decided to get dressed. But seeing as how she would be cleaning all day, she just put on a black longsleeves and the only pair of jeans she owned. Then she spent the nexxt 20 minutes on her hair, and then headed into the hallway.

By the time the clock hit seven, Madison had worked her way from the upstairs room, to the living room downstairs, and then the kitchen. She had just about put her whole house back in order. And, it had only taken nearly six hours to do so. She rested against the counter, not a speck of dust in sight. Her curly raven hair was loosely tied back out of her face, and she stood tall, proud, in her home. Now that she had done something useful wither her time, she could officially accept that it was time to move on. Her theoretical clock had started ticking once more. In the morning, she would return to Hogwarts and get all her work organized. But for now, the refrigerator needed to be restocked.