Stage 17: Leave it Behind

Time: Sometime in the morning

Interacting With:@Nobody

Word Count: 365/200

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

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Outift: Reducio Her hufflepuff uniform and her satchel.

Date: 2025.03.xx (TBD) xxxxxx

Note: Thoughts, Speech, Aamon

I need to find someone who would listen...

Nabi had left the doll with the Castle's nurse, Professor Braid, the day before. Planning on returning with a fresh pair of eyes, though the owner of the eyes may not be considered... reliable to some. Nabi had been lost in her own thoughts since the crack of dawn; the gentle voice of singing she had heard two nights ago did not sing for her again. She attended her classes without being presently aware and soon the day passed without a hitch, as if the previous day's events had never occurred. Sitting on one of the couches within the Slytherin common room, she had begun to cross out the small list of names she had.

She would have asked the young Campbell, though he seemed to have enough trouble and figured he would be too blinded by his own troubles to see what she needed him to notice. Nabi had not spoken to Mr. Prat since... well months and she did not trust him enough to keep this particular favor... silent. With a soft sigh, Nabi leaned back into the couch, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, who to trust... who to ask...

Trust was a dangerous game.

But some cards need to be played.

A familiar face crossed her gaze, and her eyes widened slightly, standing up in a speed that would cause many to trip over themselves. Her steps were quick, grabbing the hand of a confused Aamon, her voice was thoughtful as she took a quick look at him, "Follow me." Without waiting for an answer, she pulled him out of the common room, perhaps he would have thought she was taking him somewhere for reasons that would be entirely different.

It is not every day Nabi drags him somewhere with her, after all.

Her expression had its usual blankness, but her gray eyes seemed to appear as if in a trance while her focus remained on one goal: getting to the hospital wing. If he had attempted at a small talk, she would not have answered. Perhaps she should have given him some context on their way up to the third floor. Nabi turned to face him as she gently let go of his hand, "I need you to come and talk to Professor Baird with me..." She noticed the look of confusion he gave her before she turned to face the doors; her hand paused midway from reaching out to push open the door of the nurse's office, That is odd... Her eyes narrowed, as a thought began to form, she heard Aamon speak up behind her, "Professor who?" Sighing inwardly, she said calmly as she took a mental note of the door left ajar, "you will see who I am talking about...", everyone should know who the nurse of this school is, even if it is just by name.

She opened the door, expecting to see Professor Baird at his table in the back of the nurse's office. Only to find the wing dark, a thoughtful hum escaped her as she began to walk further inside, looking around for a candle to light. Her silhouette blended into the darkness of the unlit room while she squinted and looked around in thought, the wing feels so... She found what would have been a candle nearby, picking it up to realize it had been burned to the end of its wick.

Empty.

She turned to look back to see Aamon standing by the door waiting and she said softly as her mind began to come up with reasons for the Professor's absence. "Professor Braid is also the school's nurse... perhaps he went to buy some more candles... seeing as his candles seemed to have been used completely." Or could he be in a meeting? Her gray eyes flickered over to the beds that all appeared to be perfectly made, though the sight of empty beds gave her a slight chill down her spine; nothing would have prepared her for what Aamon would say.

"We’ve never had a Nurse Baird."

Her gaze moved back to him, the darkness of the room hid her unamused expression." Very funny, Mr. Athanatos...", Does he even know there was a school nurse? Deciding to prove him wrong, she walked to the professor's table, "I saw him yesterday.. He was inspecting this doll I had received and I left it with him to hold... right he-"

What? Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the table. There was no doll in sight, nothing on the surface of the table to indicate someone had even occupied the furniture. Nabi stood at the very spot she had stood just the day before, her fingers ghosting over the table in muted taps. It is as if the hospital wing was abandoned... her fingers traced the indent she noticed on the table, her eyes narrowing as she heard Aamon, "Are you sure you’re not thinking of someone else?"

Nabi turned to look back at him, her voice took a low and serious tone "I am more than sure, I know I had spoken to Professor Baird..." She was quiet for a few seconds as she stood there by the table, looking at him before glancing back at the table, tracing the shape of the faint indentation. Did the professor move the doll to place something there? her voice came out in a whisper as if she were talking to herself, "This does not make sense... Professor Baird was here yesterday..."

She was not dreaming, Nabi remembered the professor.

So why did Aamon appear to have trouble recalling him?

"You mean Nurse Barnes?" Her patience was wearing thin and her jaw clenched slightly. Her gray eyes reflected the light from the corridor when she turned to look at him, fully turning to face him. Crossing her arms, her tone shifted to a more urgent one as his first name left her, "No. I do not know who nurse Barnes is, Aamon. I swear on Merlin, nurse Baird was here." Her hand touched the tassels on her heirloom attached to her robe.

Why was he not listening to her?

He stood by the door in silence and Nabi could feel her ears begin to burn before she made her way back to him, stopping in front of him. "I am being serious. Please... just listen to me. Something is wrong, I can feel it." Her hand gently touched his forearm while her eyes locked onto his with the sincerity of a thousand storms— hoping he would believe her.

Alas, his confusion may not have been the reaction she would have wanted to receive. With a trembling sigh, Nabi let go of him and looked back into the dark office. "Fine...", I need to figure this out, "Let us forget this happened. Perhaps it was a dream that felt too real." Glancing back at him, her eyes silently pleaded with Merlin to enlighten the confused boy. "Please, do keep this moment of... confusion between us." She gave him a soft smile, though her eyes glistened with disappointment, before walking away. The doll was not there... Professor Baird was not there... Why did the room feel so hollow? Should she have brought someone else?

She needed answers. But one question began to form in the darkest corners of her subconscious.

Was Professor Baird's disappearance connected to the doll?