Ravenclaw Common Room, 11:15 PM


"Please don't be awake please don't be awake please don't be -- damn."

Alvis stood in the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room and pouted at the all-too-familiar head of blonde hair, bent low over a table of books on the couch nearest the fire. In the past two weeks[1], he'd made it a habit to bring Sasha coffee when he could manage it, and even joined in the studies once or twice. He was beginning to understand that these all-nighters were something Sasha thought he needed.

But tonight, that thought was dead wrong. Sasha was a Champion, for crying out loud. A Hogwarts Champion, a Ravenclaw Champion. And his Task was tomorrow morning! Even the most studious Ravenclaw knew that this was the single most inappropriate time for an all-night study session.  Why couldn't they get it through his head?

Alvis huffed, depositing his things on a table en-route to the couch without care for if someone was already sitting there. He leaned over the back of the couch, reaching for the prefect's attention. If Sasha would listen to reason, then he wouldn't have to go through with his other plan.

Otherwise, well...all bets were off.

"Sasha. Sasha." Alvis rounded the couch and, with uncharacteristic forwardness borne of concern, flipped the book that Sasha was reading closed. "Stop. No studying tonight. You have a Task tomorrow, you need to get some sleep. Please?"

On the last word he gave the older Ravenclaw the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could muster, and glanced around the common room for support. There were still a few blue-clothed housemates hovering around, absorbed in conversations or their own studies. Surely some of them would lend him a hand here, if not for Sasha's sake, then for House honor.

1.	Since their last late-night talk

A flash of dirty blond flopped into view at the periphery of Sasha's vision and he looked up from his list of Arithmancy problems.  Baldur was laying in his usual spot on the rug, next to the fire.  The shepherd didn't bother moving but his tail thudded quietly against the floor at the sight of the fourth year. 

"What?"  The sixth year scowled and jumped slightly, as the fourth year leaned over and shut the arithmancy text closed.  Granted, while Sasha had seen Alvis around Ravenclaw Tower for a couple of years now, he'd only really known the lad for a couple of weeks.  But, in that span of time, Sasha had never known him to be so ... well, pushy.  "I ... I don't understand..." Sasha started to say, cautiously, completely surprised and uncertain about Alvis' shift in demeanor. 

But, the younger boy didn't leave his motivations a mystery for too long.  This was all about a couple extra hours of sleep? 

"I know there's a Task tomorrow.  I'll be fine," Sasha insisted.  "I'm planning on sleeping."  Which was a vast improvement over most nights, thanks to that potion Mr. Morgan had taught him to prepare.  "But, the Task is probably going to hijack the whole day, tomorrow.  I can't miss two days of studying."  He'd carefully planned it out: what he needed to get done tonight and what he'd have to crunch into Saturday evening and Sunday to avoid falling behind. 

"But, I am going to sleep.  At one.  Thirty.  Definitely no later than two.  That'll get me at least five hours.  It's more than enough."

Ligeia was no stranger to late nights, it being her favorite time of day. Her stamina was not technically insomnia but she knew how to couple the minimum amount of sleep she needed with the minimal of activity to avoid exhaustion. So far in her six years without the aid of sleeping draughts or sleep blockers.

The hour before midnight was still a lively hour for her. In the middle of a piece of knitting she decided to head down to the openness of the common room. Ligeia was momentarily puzzled when she went to put down her sewing kit (that infamous bag that looked like it bred with a porcupine) on her favorite table but it was already covered. It must have been caused by Alvis or Sasha, conversing at a sofa.

"Are you staying up the whole night preparing for the Task tomorrow?" She asked of her fellow prefect. "I would. It's just so exciting for what perils you will face tomorrow."

Ligeia held up a rather noose looking scarf. "It was going to be for my cousin but he isn't as appreciative of my knits anymore, so I'll add onto it and make it into a banner."

Though it had been years since she had taken the subject she recognized the text of arithmancy. "Though are you expecting to be attacked by numbers? If you were going to stay up before the task you might want to schedule your time better."

Five hours. Maybe five hours. Alvis bristled like a mother hen. Even if Sasha did go to bed when he said he would, Alvis knew he'd never get five hours of sleep. He'd seen how the older boy started awake at the slightest provocation, and that restlessness didn't translate to straight sleep. He'd be lucky to get three hours out of a schedule like that.

But he held his tongue on that point, because Canterbury showed up. Alvis deflated, his shoulders sagging in disappointment. She wasn't going to back Sasha on this issue, was she?

"It's not nothing to do with the Task," he sighed, frowning down at the arithmancy book. If it'd been any other night he might have tried to start up a conversation about the subject. "Which would at least be understandable. But this is just studying for studying's sake and that's no good."

That wasn't entirely fair. Alvis knew what Sasha had on his plate -- a full schedule of classes, plus A-Levels and his muggle studies -- but he'd grown gradually more convinced over the weeks that the goals existed primarily as an excuse to study himself into a stupor.

"How much sleep have you gotten this week? Eight hours? Ten?" Probably less. Alvis frequented a late night almost as often as Canterbury, to indulge in his astronomy, and he couldn't remember a single night this semester when Sasha'd gone to be before him. "That's not healthy. What good is being prepared going to do if you drop out of exhaustion in the middle of the Task? You won't be able to make up any studying if you're stuck in the Hospital Wing for a week!"

Apparently, Alvis' unnecessary concern had a contagious quality to it.  A moment after the fourth year draped himself over the back of the couch, Sasha's fellow prefect seemed to take notice of his activities.  Activities that really shouldn't have been noteworthy to Ligeia.  Or Alvis, for that matter.  Both should be used to seeing Sasha up late studying, by now.  The nights when both of them retired to the dorm rooms before he did vastly outnumbered the alternative. 

But, it seemed like both his study material and sleep schedule were under scrutiny this evening. 

"I spent all last night preparing and drilling and practicing," Sasha insisted, a bit of impatience coloring his tone.  Much to the librarian's annoyance, Sasha had called for an extra long practice and drill session.  They'd reviewed the spells they'd been covering and practiced a few more control and restraint exercises, just in case Sasha found himself suddenly tempted to cast something not approved in the Hogwarts curriculum. 

But, nerves had been getting the better of Sasha throughout the day.  He'd rushed out of class on several occasions and, all in all, been showing less than champion-ly behavior.  Spending all night worrying, stressing, fixating on all he knew, all he didn't know and the myriad of potential consequences of that weren't going to help him tomorrow. 

No.  He was handling the stress the best way he knew how: distraction.  Hence the arthimancy book in his lap.

He ignored the random comment about cousins and scarves and glared at his notes, gritting his teeth at Ligeia's allegations that Sasha was misusing his time.  But, he couldn't hold his tongue when Alvis chimed in, seconding the idea that his current activities had nothing to do with the Task. 

"It has everything to do with the task!"  Sasha said, tersely.  "I've worried about nothing else over the last forty eight hours and if I spend all night worrying, too, I'm going to be lost.  I just need to focus on something else.  I need to clear my head."  Clear his head with the work he was falling behind on on account of the task. 

Alvis' argument was valid, if inapplicable.  Yes, under normal circumstances, dropping from exhaustion and getting injured would have been a valid concern.  But, Alvis didn't yet know that sleep had become an entirely optional activity.  But, he was about to.  "I slept three hours on Tuesday."  Sasha waved a hand, preemptively waving off whatever concern was bound to come from that.  "But, it's fine.  I've got potions.  I'll take some at five and it'll be like I slept a whole eight hours.  You're worrying too much."

With a -leave me alone-aura around her Alexia stepped into the Ravenclaw common room, her arms filled with books to read. When she noticed how many people were still up she cursed mentally; she really didn't want company right now but since the girls upstairs would be chatting way too loudly for her to read in peace she concluded that the bickering of the small crowd in the common room would have to do.

With a small huff Alexia took posession of a large armchair, pulling a side table next to it and settling her book there. Elegantly she grabbed the book on top, opening it on the first page. Before she could begin reading however, a conversation near her caught her attention. It was between the cute, little Alvis and his elder Sasha, until Ligeia joined in too. Interested Alexia listened.

She could not believe this guy; how did he survive on so few hours of sleep. Suddenly filled with pity for Sacha, she knew nerves rather well herself, Alexia decided to try and help.

"Sacha, dear," she started in her very posh sounding accent, "while I can understand you being nervous, you simply must get more sleep than that. What if the potion doesn't take it's full effect and still leaves you tired? Or worse: what if it simply burns it's energy too quickly and you'll be left bone-tired in the middle of the task?" with feline grace she got up and walked over, feeling caring for once, "Please Sacha, we all mean well. Just go and sleep. I'll help you doze off, ok? I bet these two would help too," she said gesturing towards her two fellow Ravenclaws.

"Come on honey, just put the book down and go change..." a silent, worried plea was a soft undertone in her voice.

"Goodness Sasha, what would you miss? No doubts by now you're beyond any of us in the study schedule." Ligeia was twisting one of her knitting needles in her hands, a thoughtful motion. Sasha was being more pointed than usual although if he could step back from his own constructed logos he would see the warning signs. Such as tonight, it seemed, he wanted to stay up to relax his mind. And this was the young gentleman whose idea of light reading was the reference section of an encyclopedia.

When Alexia appealed to Sasha's pathos, Ligeia made her argument. "If you thought worrying all night was going to prevent you from sleeping, you need a Dreamless Sleep Potion and not a substitute for sleeping. Just what brew have you been taking for this replacement sleep?"

Potions, Sasha said. Worrying too much, he said. Three hours on Thursday, he said.

Alvis bristled further. He wanted to argue. Potions couldn't last forever. They weren't meant to be permanent solutions. And they couldn't fix everything. Even his own great-aunt, one of the most extensive potioners ever to retire from the Potion & Herbological Research Office, had said that countless times.

But he knew it wasn't any good. Whatever his reasons, Sasha wouldn't listen. Fine. If he wanted potions, then that's what he'd get.

With a huff, Alvis left Canterbury and Wilson to question Sasha's unhealthy potion habits and crossed the room to where he'd left his things, summoning a set of mugs as he went. The coffee tonight would be decaff. He'd switched it out on two or three previous occasions, trying to offer the subtle hint on the necessities of sleep. But Sasha hadn't even noticed and, from Alvis's observations, it hadn't changed a thing  That was where the other plans came in.

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that the ladies and his studies still held Sasha's attention, which they did, between them. He filled one mug half-way and quietly returned the thermos to the table. From his sleeve, he produced a vial, half-filled with thick purple liquid. It was, just as Ligeia suggested, a potion of Dreamless Sleep.

It was a tricky draft, O.W.L.-level at least. But Aunt Niamh's instructions on its preparation had been exact and guided Alvis well. He'd tested the batch on himself the night before and nearly slept through Arithmancy. He didn't want that to happen tonight, of course. The Task was too important, so he'd erred on the side of caution, aiming for a skinny dose of six-and-a-half hours rather than the full eight.

Before his nerves could get the better of him, Alvis poured the potion into the coffee. He topped off the cup of decaffeinated espresso to mask the taste (an request that had earned him an odd look from the house elves), and set the cup aside to prepare a honeyed tea for himself.

A moment later, Alvis returned to the conversation. He set the coffee mug next to Sasha without a word and looked to the ladies. "There's tea if you'd like it. Coffee, too. More than enough to share."

He took his mug to an adjacent armchair and curled up with his knees pulled up almost to his chest. Over the rim, he gave Sasha the pout of someone who's just lost an argument. It was childish, but then, Alvis had a childish face. So long as it drew attention away from the plan, everything would work out fine.

This was, apparently, swiftly becoming a Ravenclaw House issue.  Or, rather, the whole of Ravenclaw house seemed to find it appropriate to take issue with his sleep patterns. 

Analyzing his daily habits wasn't really an appropriate group activity.  Calling him 'dear' didn't seem appropriate under any circumstances.  That's the kind of thing one's nanny...housekeeper...whatever... said.  He stared at them, slowly shaking his head, trying to picture how having two girls and Alvis huttled around him was going to make him drowsy.  "Really?" Was the first thing he managed to find to say to that.  He immediately felt guilty; he didn't doubt they meant the best.  They just didn't understand.  "I'm sorry.  But, you have no idea how bad of an idea that is." 

Even if he managed to become drowsy.  Even if his own mind didn't keep him awake and his ears trained on the room around him.  Even if even managed to slip off to sleep, he did not want to startle to wakefulness from a nightmare, only to find a bunch of people huddled over him. 

Alexia did have a point, though.  Mr. Morgan had warned Sasha about being too dependent on the potions.  "Look.  It's not about studying," he insisted.  Or bargained, purposefully ignoring Ligeia's question about what potions he was taking.  "And, it's not worrying about the task that's keeping me up.  Just ... I swear.  I'll go to bed in a couple hours." 

Alvis, at least, seemed to understand and had relented.  Even if the younger man was frustrated now, he'd see.  Sasha would be fine tomorrow.  Sasha picked up the coffee - the most useful of potions - and took several sips and set it down to turn back to his books. 

It took less than a paragraph for the potion to kick in.  He tried to fight it but, within a breath, his head drooped back against the chair and his eyes closed.