Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made.
Written for the Quidditch League – Season 4 Fanfiction Competition – Round 2
Prompt: Hogwarts Subjects
Now that you've all warmed up after round 1, I'd like to invite you all to step onto this steam engine and take a seat, because this round we're going back to Hogwarts (and it's gonna be totally awesome!), focusing specifically on the subjects taught there.
Wasps – Astronomy
Chaser 2: Write about someone trying to master (an aspect or the entirety of) the subject.
Additional prompts:
#5.(quote) 'I want to see and understand the world outside.' - Eren Jaeger, Attack On Titan.
#7.(word) light
#14.(quote) 'The starting point of all achievement is desire.' - Napoleon Hill
Chaser 2 for the Wimbourne Wasps
Word count according to Open Office: 2988
Among the Stars
Blaise sighed, letting his head thump down against the desk. For the life of him he would never understand why they had Astronomy as a core class. He was just starting his third year, so he had two more years to go before he could drop the subject. He didn't know if he would be able to handle it. It was completely useless in his eyes – no matter what anyone else told him. He could not wait to be done with the class.
He contained a groan when the chatter from the group of students at the desk beside his own got louder. He couldn't see who they were since they had their backs to him, but from the snatches of conversations he had overheard they sounded like mudbloods.
"Are you sure this is allowed?" one of them asked.
"Positive," another answered. "Professor Sinistra just told us to hand in a report about the moons of Mars, nothing more."
"True, but we're using muggle information."
Blaise sneered when he heard that.
"Yes, we are, which will give us a better grade for sure. It's ridiculous just how behind wizards and witches are in so many things, Astronomy being one of them. They haven't even made it to the Moon, while the muggles did that almost thirty years ago. Hell, wizards and witches haven't even gone to space much less to the Moon."
Blaise was ashamed to admit, even to himself, that it took him a moment to understand what the Mudbloods were saying. Muggles had gone to space? To the Moon? That couldn't be true. The Mudbloods had to be lying; that was the only explanation. There was simply no way that Muggles had done something like that.
He continued listening, hardly believing what was coming out of their mouths. He refused to believe it. He needed to see it with his own eyes. He looked around discreetly, making sure that no one – especially Pince – was nearby, then he pointed his wand at the group, uttering two spells in quick succession – one to confound the Mudbloods and another to turn the books they were reading invisible.
He smirked when they got up, leaving the books behind. He looked around once more before he got up from his seat and walked over to where they had been seated. He canceled the invisibility charm on the books and started sorting through them.
He narrowed his eyes at the clearly Muggle magazines that he saw mixed in with the books. He hesitated for a moment before he took them, stashing them in his bag before anyone could see, and then he walked out of the library, leaving the magical books behind. He made his way to an out-of-the-way classroom that he used when he wanted to try spells that people might consider to be on the not-so-legal side of the law. He had learned a few simple wards to make sure that other students stayed away, and since it was so close to the dungeons, most professors didn't even know it was there. At least his wards had never alerted him to them being near his little room. As soon as he was inside, he took the magazines from his bag and spread them on top of the table.
He didn't know for sure how long he spent just looking at the covers. Should he do it? Was it worth it? They were Muggle. There couldn't be anything of interest in them, there simply couldn't. Still, the words the Mudbloods had spoken didn't leave his mind, and he took a seat at the table, glaring at the magazines as if the whole thing was their fault. Slowly, he reached towards one. At the top of the magazine were the words AdAstra. Strange name, but the Muggles were strange, weren't they? It was only to be expected that they would think up strange names for their strange magazines with their strange unmoving pictures. He shook his head. Muggle strangeness wasn't the reason he was there; he was there to see what those Mudbloods had been talking about, to prove them wrong.
He opened the first magazine, letting his eyes roam over the pages. His eyes widened with every word he read, with every article that he finished.
They had been right.
The Muggles had gone to space, to the Moon.
How could that have happened? How could they have fallen so far behind? How could Muggles have beaten them?
He snatched up the next magazine, a feverish glint entering his eyes. He wouldn't allow Muggles to best them; he would master Astronomy, no matter what it took.
Blaise was looking at the letter laying innocently on the table. This was it. For the last two years, he had thrown himself head first into Astronomy. It was the closest he could come to what he had seen in those Muggle magazines. Though, he hadn't stopped there; once he had been home for the summer break he had gone to Gringotts and exchanged galleons to Muggle currency. Then he had gone to Muggle London. In moments like those, he was rather glad that his mother was generally busy with her newest conquest and hardly noticed that he was home; otherwise, he would not have been able to sneak into London as much as he had in the recent years. It had taken him a bit of time, and he had been forced to interact with Muggles, but he had found a bookstore with all the information he needed.
If he were being truthful, there were things that still boggled his mind, especially the Moon landing. It was so hard for him to grasp that there were people who had gone to the Moon. The sheer mechanics behind it had him completely baffled. Still, he was determined to not let the Muggles overshadow them. The Muggles had done it, so they could do it, too. And there in front of him was the letter that would allowed him to do it; that is, if he had passed.
The previous year had been stressful. Umbridge hadn't made life easier at Hogwarts; even the Slytherins had been affected. He had been forced to be part of her little Squad to be allowed to use the Restricted Section of the library. If it had been for anything other than Astronomy, then he wouldn't have bothered. On the bright side, he had gotten his hands on every single book about Astronomy that was available at Hogwarts.
He had been stunned when he saw books that corroborated the Muggle ones he had been reading. Those books had talked about science, about mechanics, about space travel as if it were an indisputable fact. They had explained how it was possible to simulate those effects with magic, and Blaise had been hooked. However, when he had gone back to the library to get some more information from them, they had been gone. He had asked Pince if anyone had taken them out, only to be told that those books had been disposed of. Pince had gone on to explain that the Ministry had banned those books, and that the author had been sentenced to Azkaban for a few years for daring to publish something so outrageous.
Blaise had left the library in a daze.
He supposed that had been the turning point for him.
It might have started out as his pride getting the best of him, but it was so much more now. He wanted to see, to understand. Not just the world outside of the four walls that he had built around himself before he even knew that there was something out there to explore, but everything else outside of Earth. The need to know was almost consuming him. But could anyone blame him? He had thought that the World was a large place, but he had been so very wrong. The world, Earth, was so insignificant in the scheme of things. Earth was just a tiny planet, in a small solar system, in a young galaxy, in an infinitesimal corner of an ever expanding Universe.
It was a humbling realization.
His lips twitched. Maybe that was the reason those books had been banned. They forced one to realize just how small one really was. Human life was so ephemeral, not even a blimp in the vast existence of the cosmos. Wizards did not enjoy feeling so insignificant. The simple thought would be insulting to any worthy pureblood. A mere two years ago he would have been one of those purebloods. Now, he knew better.
He took a deep breath and picked up the letter. He opened it and his eyes flew across it. Slowly a smile spread on his lips.
He had passed!
He could take his N.E.W.T. in Astronomy!
He laughed, thousands of plans flashing in his mind.
He was one step closer to his dream.
He ignored the Slytherins around him, doing his best to focus on the parchment in front of him. The noise wasn't making it easy for him, but he had to get this right. He couldn't mess the calculations up; they were far too important. He was so close; he could feel it.
"What?" he snarled when he saw someone approach him from the corner of his eyes. Why did they persist with pestering him? Could they not see he was busy? Did they not understand just how important this was? The breakthrough it would be for every single wizard and witch? Why in Merlin's name did they think he cared about the Dark Lord having taken over the Ministry? What did he care about a Dark Lord on Earth when he had a whole Universe to explore? He had neither the time nor the patience for petty squabbles. The Dark Lord wanted the world? Let him have it. Blaise would take the stars any day.
"Nothing!" the second year squeaked, scurrying away as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Blaise snorted before focusing on his notes again. He was half tempted to go ask Sinistra to help him with the calculations, but he refrained. He knew he could do it on his own; besides, he wasn't sure that Sinistra wouldn't turn him in. The new professors – and he used that title in the loosest sense of the word – were rather enthusiastic in their disciplining and not even the other professors were safe from them. Well, at least the younger ones. He hadn't seen them going after McGonagall or Flitwick yet.
"Watch it!" he growled when someone jolted him, making his quill stroke go wide.
He froze, his eyes widening ever so slightly. That… that couldn't be. He turned the parchment slightly, taking in the curving line that he had inadvertently drawn over the schematics that he had been working on.
His heart started beating faster, adrenalin pumping through his body. This was it. This was the answer. The calculations hadn't been adding up because he had been mapping it wrong! It couldn't be a straight line; but an ellipse? Now that was a whole different matter.
He laughed, ignoring the looks and whispers aimed at him.
What did he care if they looked? Soon enough, he would leave all of them behind.
Sneaking out of Hogwarts had been far easier than he had anticipated. Then again, everyone had been so focused on Potter having escaped from Gringotts on the back of a dragon, that no one had really been paying attention to what had been going on with the non-rebellious students.
He looked around, making sure that the place was deserted and started setting up all the needed wards. It wouldn't do to be disturbed while he was getting everything ready. Once that was done, he took out the few shrunken trunks he had in his pockets and set them around the clearing in a predetermined order. He had to be methodical about this. He couldn't afford to make a mistake; the consequences would be disastrous if he did.
Taking a deep breath, he set to work. He opened the first trunk and started pulling things out one by one. With a flick of his wand the parchment he had pulled out grew in size and hovered in the air in front of him. Another flick and the diagrams drawn on it started moving, giving him step by step instructions.
He let his eyes roam over the moving pictures, taking in the smallest details. This was it. There was no turning back now. This was what he had been working so hard to achieve. There had been a couple of times where he thought that he wouldn't be able to make it. That it was all an impossible dream. But he had persevered. From the moment that he realized that it was possible, it had been all he ever thought about. It was his heart's desire. And now it would become the biggest achievement of his life.
Not everyone could brag about having achieved their dream before being nineteen years old.
Then again, not everyone had dedicated their all to mastering something the way he had.
He continued with his work, meticulously going over every single detail. Almost an hour later, he moved to the second trunk and started working on it with just as much care. And then he moved on to the third trunk. By the time time he was finished with the fifth, and last, trunk, there was little more than twenty minutes until dawn.
It had taken him a little longer than he had anticipated, but he was finally done. He couldn't help the catch in his breath as he gazed up at his creation. It was a mix of Muggle and magic, and it was the most glorious thing he had ever seen.
Slowly, he stepped forward, running his fingers over the cool metal and tracing the runes he had etched over every inch of the surface. He pointed his wand at the tail wing, a small smile on his lips, and carved a name on the plaque that he had left bare.
Hecate, gleamed in bright silver letters a moment later.
He stepped back, walking around it one more time. It was nowhere near as large as the ones the Muggles had designed, but it did not need to be. Many things that the Muggles needed to build for space were achieved through magic in his case, besides, this was a one man vessel.
He looked one more time at the bright red and silver colors that made up the body, and the deep black that the wings were done in, before he opened the door and climbed inside.
He took a deep breath. He was ready. He knew the risks. He had left his mother a letter explaining everything and asking her to give the enclosed, second letter to Theo, the only true friend he had even if they had grown a little apart this last year. He hoped they understood – this wasn't something he could give up.
He strapped himself in. Then he activated the runes that would show him the astronomical chart he had drawn, and all the needed calculations.
This was it.
His hand tightened around his wand, and slowly, he started activating the runic sequences.
"Ten," he murmured, "nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." The last number was no more than an exhale, his hands gripping onto the armrest of his chair as he felt the propellants activating. He held on firm as everything around him shook. And then, with a powerful thrust, there was lift off.
He laughed, hysteria coloring the sound, but he didn't care. He had done it. He was doing it. His laugh tempered down the higher he got, and just as the first rays of the sun shone on Hecate, he burst through the troposphere, going further than any other wizard before him had gone.
And then further still, as he passed the stratosphere into the mesosphere. He quickly left the mesosphere behind, going through the thermosphere and ionosphere, and then, finally, he reached the exosphere and broke that as well.
Through it all, Blaise had kept his eyes wide open. He didn't want to miss a single second. As the dark abyss of space greeted him, Blaise was sure that he would never see anything as amazing as this ever again, only to be proven wrong as he took control of Hecate's control panel, turning her just a tiny bit on the side; Earth looked like a beautiful sapphire laid out on the darkest velvet. It was, without a doubt, the most awe inspiring thing he had ever seen.
A loud alarm brought him crashing down to reality, his eyes going wide as he read over the warning flaring up on the control panel. More than one runic sequence had been damaged during lift off. He swore, unstrapping himself – taking just a moment to marvel at being in zero gravity – and hurried towards the control panels in the back. He needed to know which sequences had been damaged.
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump.
Funny, he hadn't realized that his heart could beat that loudly.
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump.
Oh…
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump.
He went back to his seat, strapping himself down.
Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump.
Humans couldn't live without oxygen. And he couldn't go back because the control sequence was damaged as well. Fixing it was also out of the question because the one allowing him outside was just as damaged as the rest. He had a little less than a minute of oxygen left.
Thu-thump, thu-thump.
At least he was amongst the stars.
Thu-thump.
As the light of the sun engulfed the Earth, he couldn't help but think that he had been wrong. Earth wasn't insignificant at all.
Thump thump.
It was beaut–
Thum–