LITTLE THINGS HURT THE MOST
To say that Terrence was not very happy when he learnt Scorpius and Albus had spent the night on the sofa in the living room would have been a bit weak. He literally imploded with anger, then grabbed his best friend by the collar of his shirt and dragged him off to the sickbay.
Günter's gaze followed them sympathetically, then when the door slammed behind them, he turned to the blond young man who had remained silent throughout the tirade of the irate healer. The team leader said nothing, but his kind blue eyes registered Scorpius' flushed cheeks, his pursed lips, the way his slender fingers were crossing and uncrossing nervously.
Günter reached out, gently squeezed the government agent's shoulder then left in a rustling of his ratty robes.
- "Sweet times, but you were having a nightmare", said Pepper's high-pitched voice.
Scorpius glowered at him.
- "Words one keeps to oneself for too long will eventually fester", the elf added, eyeing the young man from under his half-closed eyelids. "Maybe the young Malfoy should consider what Calcifer told him before it's too late."
Scorpius shuddered.
- "Go away", he snapped.
The elf's bushy eyebrows furrowed disapprovingly. He joined his spindly fingers under his crooked chin.
- "Free Elves do not have to follow orders", he replied with a sly tone.
The young man let out a wry laugh.
- "If you are free, then I am too."
- "People can only be free when choosing to let go of what holds them back", sententiously said Pepper.
There was an eerie golden glow in his big bulging eyes. Scorpius looked away and left the room almost as if he was running away, clutching his fingers on his left arm.
Why were dreams always turning into nightmares when they lasted for too long?
A few floors up above, Wendy was asking herself the same question.
In the sickbay, Terrence was just done giving Albus a thorough check-up. He took off his stethoscope and threw it in a silver tray, then gestured his office chair to come closer. The wand dosed the spell wrong and the seat bumped in his hip.
- "Ouch", he groaned exasperatedly, rubbing the painful spot, before sitting down.
Albus took off his sweater, then looked at his best friend, half-amused, half-sorry. His empty trouser leg was pinned above the knee and you could see the stump. There was a hole in the sock of his good foot that was dangling off the leather bed.
- "Are you done being mad?" he asked.
Terrence shot him a dark glare.
- "Makes you laugh? Do you think I have nothing else to do than taking care of your sweet little health? I wish I could spend some time studying the Muggles' tissue samples, but no, I can't. You had to risk aggravating this damn fever by spending the night in a cold room – on a sofa!"
- "I'm not so sick", protested Albus with enough good taste to look down. "I even feel better than yesterday evening. Dewis..."
- "WHO'S THE HEALER, HERE?" Terrence bawled. "For once in your life, will you listen to someone other than your – your heart?! I don't care what the dragon thinks of this situation. All I see is that you have an infection and that it could go very wrong. We're stuck at the ends of the world, I don't know if you get it! I'm responsible for you, Al!"
Albus' cheeks caught fire.
- "It's going to be okay", he assured awkwardly. "You're the b..."
- "Do you have any idea how worried we got when we came to see how you were doing this morning? No one in the room, the window open! We thought you had changed into Toothess, that you were gone, that..."
Terrence's voice broke and he suddenly looked exhausted. He pulled off the band holding back his long blond hair and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Albus felt his heart sink.
There were deep shadows under the eyes of his best friend, hidden behind the round glasses, and his cheeks seemed more hollow than six months earlier when he had landed in Antartica.
- "I'm sorry, Ter", Albus whispered.
- "It's not to me you should say that", retorted the young healer bitterly. "You always think it's your fault when the world goes wrong, but you never figure that it's the little things that hurt. Don't you get how much Wendy hurt? Or what you're doing to Scorpius?"
Albus opened huge eyes. He had turned pale.
- "Scorpius?" he repeated, puzzled.
- "Yes, Scorpius", Terrence sighed, leaning against the back of his chair and closing his eyes for a moment.
- "What do you mean?"
The healer opened his eyes and shook his head.
- "It's not for me to tell you."
His blond hair looked like wilted wheat on his shoulders. His eyes were hard.
- "But I won't let you keep treating Wendy this way", he rasped. "She endured enough, waited enough, and suffered enough. I'm tired of your whining. If you can't choose between the dragon and her, then I..."
Albus' green eyes blazed.
- "Then what?"
Terrence ran a hand over his weary face.
- "Then I don't know", he muttered. "Are we going to fight? That's ridiculous. It's you she loves, it's been like this from the beginning. Why are we talking about this? I just wanted..."
He seemed close to tears and Albus' anger gave way to worry.
- "You're dead tired", he said.
- "No, M' not", Terrence mumbled. "Well ... yes, I am... doesn't matter, anyway. There's something odd. I get angry all the time for no reason. I'm sure it's because of the Axis..."
He got up, stumbled in the room like if he was lost, then turned to his best friend with an apologetic grimace.
- "You should be in bed with a hot water bottle and a reinvigorating potion. I'm the worst. So, will you really ask her? You won't shirk, this time? Al, I..."
He wobbled, bringing a hand to his neck.
- "In the train, that day... it's burning... you know, if Wendy had not chosen you, I'd... maybe, in fact, the opening of the Axis is just a collective hallucination. What d'you think?"
He raised his arms, spun on his heels with a cackle.
- "Maybe it's a phenomena meant to make us believe in the Shufflers of Light… she had such a nice smile... and so sad eyes... and that's why there's no real trace of what's on the other side of the Gate!"
Albus had grabbed the prosthesis leaning against the base of the examination bed and was tying it hastily, his eyes never leaving the healer who was staggering as if he was drunk.
- "Ter. Terrence, listen to me. Sit down, please. You really look sick."
- "Don't be silly. Nothing will happen to me - I'm not the hero", the blond man slurred, pulling up his hair in a messy ponytail. "She was so worried she couldn't breathe. If it'd been me... I wonder how Euphrosine got these pictures of the Shufflers. Do you think she saw them? How long do you think she's been living in Antarctica?"
He swayed on his long legs. Albus hobbled toward him and caught him when he fell, twisted in his white coat. The prosthesis unbuckled and they lost their balance, found themselves on the rubbery and lukewarm floor of the sickbay.
Albus sat up with a grunt. His best friend had fallen on top of him.
- "You okay?"
Terrence did not try to get up. He was pressing a hand on his neck and was squinting in pain.
- "Bloody hell. It hurts", he mumbled. "Al… if she doesn't accept you, I can try my luck, can't I? That'd be only fair... do you think Calcifer comes from the Axis? I'm so tired..."
He groaned weakly, then didn't move anymore.
With a wince of pain, Albus leaned over to grab the prosthesis and squirmed a bit to put it back on properly. Then he gently slid the inert body of his best friend off his knees and looked for his wand.
Fifteen minutes later, Terrence was tucked in one of the sickbay's beds, an ice bag wrapped in a towel under his head. He was snoring softly, his lips slightly parted. Three people were at his bedside, looking at him with concern.
- "He must have been sorely sleep deprived", said Günter.
His serious gaze went from the sleeper to Wendy who was smoothing the blanket fondly.
- "He was delirious!" Albus insisted.
His black curls were plastered on his forehead that was beaded with sweat. He frequently brought a hand to his chest, as if something was stuck in his lungs, bothering him.
- "Maybe the Muggles' sickness..."
- "I doubt so", interrupted Günter.
- "The is it because of the Axis? But you never said we would fall sick! Something's affecting us. The bleeding words, these mood swings, the nightmares, the-"
Albus paused and blushed violently.
- "The dragon", completed the team leader, looking at him in the eyes. "It's no longer under your control."
Wendy let out a small squeal.
- "He saw you the other night", she explained hurriedly, as if she was afraid Albus' furious glance would turn again into terse words.
- "When I came here, you said the Axis would open a passage to ancient knowledge", said the young man, pushing back in his brain the new problem that had risen. "You claimed it would be like going down a tunnel that would lead us to a protected place! You never mentioned it was alive!"
The word hung in the room, heavy with anxiety and reproach.
Günter nibbled his lips, joining his hands behind his back.
- "I did not know it would be like this", he said slowly.
- "You spent your life looking for the Gate! How could you not know?" Albus growled, fists clenched.
- "Calm down, Al", Wendy whispered, standing up and touching his arm.
- "You're putting us all in danger!" hissed the young man.
- "Nonsense", cut in Euphrosine's voice from the door. "Günter Von Wartbach has nothing to do with what's happening to us."
- "Then it's Calcifer! He wants to turn us against each other, to confuse us!"
The old woman snorted sarcastically.
- "Don't you know that what's boiling in the cauldron was already there before you lit the fire?"
She walked to the bed, looked at Terrence for a moment with such a sad expression that Albus again felt his anger vanish. Wendy raised an eyebrow.
- "How would you know?" she asked. "Did it happen before?"
Günter cleared his throat, as if to spare the witch from answering, but the old woman turned to the girl and smiled.
Many years had wrinkled her tanned skin. The short white braid on her nape, her opulent chest, her out of fashion blue dress and her corny slippers made her look like a gentle grandmother. Her false teeth crunched as she struggled again against her own jaws to try to speak. Then she took a deep breath, reached out and touched Wendy's cheek, while a tear rolled down her hooked nose to her jutting neck.
- "My child, when you are young, you're overwhelmed by your feelings. You must learn to understand them, to tame them - otherwise you may lose everything."
- "But..."
- "We never love too much, dear. But sometimes we love wrong."
In the silence of the sickbay, Günter bowed his head and stifled a sigh.
- "What do you mean?" Albus asked softly.
- "You'll understand later", said the magician. "Now, let's leave poor Terrence to his rest. He won't be able to sleep this peacefully before a long time..."
Wendy shivered when the old calloused hand left her cheek.
- "Yes", she said absently. "Let him sleep..."
- "I'll stay with him for a while", said Günter before Albus could utter a word. "He'll be fine."
Albus and Wendy left the sickbay with Euphrosine and went down to the common room where there was no one. Scorpius was probably in his office, Pepper down in the boiler den, Vivienne in her room. Christopher had left earlier for the Whale Carcass and Matilda was working in her laboratory, studying the snow flower with awe.
Euphrosine muttered something about the Shadows Nibblers and hobbled down the spiral staircases. Albus and Wendy gave a handful of paper clips to Koff, who began to chew them with gusto, then went to the lobby.
- "I'll go for a ride", Albus said without really looking at Wendy. "D'you want to come along?"
She bit her lips, stayed silent for a few seconds, then lifted her gray eyes and glared at him.
- "Okay", she said curtly. "But I'm only coming because Terrence forbade you to do so and because you'll need help if you collapse."
- "I won't collapse", Albus grumbled. "I'm fine. He's not. He better take care of his own body before giving advice to others."
He blushed before the end of his sentence. Again, the strange anger had shaken him, infecting his thoughts and words before he could stop himself.
Wendy only shrugged. She put on her cloak and her mittens, wrapped around her neck the long wool scarf Hermione Granger had sent her. Albus stuffed his untidy black hair under a woolen cap and buttoned up his khaki coat. The tawny fur of the hood made him look like if he had a fox curled up on his shoulders. He grabbed two brooms in the rack next to the dischilblaining machine and handed one to the girl.
- "We'll go faster", he said.
- "We'll be back sooner", she retorted with an annoyed chin gesture to get rid of her short brown hair.
Outside, the weather was so good the snow was dazzling. The sky was very high and of a perfectly pure sapphire blue. The vast white plain was whizzing beneath them, unspoiled by footprints.
They saw the deep ice rift where they had found themselves trapped the previous summer, watched a bench of penguins sun-bathing under the blazing light of Antarctica, flew above Sarcophagus Cove, searching in vain the cloud of steam of a humpback whale. Sea lions were lounging on the waves and dived when they spotted them.
The icy wind was stinging their faces. They slowed down to land on Detour Hill, an iron-shaped hill whose sunken belly was fringed with glistening stalactites. Wendy jumped lithely to the ground and barely sank. The snow covering the ice-coated ground was not very deep, but soft and delicate like frosting on a cake.
- "What are you looking for here?" she asked, turning to Albus who was dismounting.
They both were breathless and red-faced from being whipped by cold drafts.
- "Answers", he replied evasively.
He pulled out his wand from his pocket while she drew a telescope from her own and proceeded to assemble a snowman. When Wendy was done looking around, she found next to her a big potbellied fellow, wearing Albus' cap, with gloves standing for hands, a wrinkled carrot for nose and two buttons for eyes.
- "Hi there", she giggled.
The snowman bowed his huge round head, then ran off in clumsy leaps.
- "Hey, come back!" Albus shouted. "This hat was a gift from my grandmother!"
He ran after his masterpiece which was going down the slope and Wendy followed them, laughing.
Their two broomsticks stayed alone, shoved in the snow on Detour Hill like flags.
- "Olaf! Come here at once!"
- "Olaf? Couldn't you come up with something better? It's a lame name, he'll never answer! Hey, Eugene! Wait for us!"
- "Olaf!"
They caught up at the bottom of the slope, tackled the snowman and got back the hat. Olaf struggled free and started hopping in circles around them, clearly upset, waving his gloves. Wendy took pity and made a tuft of ice on the top of his head. He then seemed content enough and settled in the plain, looking quite proud.
- "Where did you find a carrot?" asked the girl, lying in the snow next to Albus who was laughing.
- "I had it in my pocket. Must be from when we were emptying the aerostat. Koff exploded a box of veggies, there were carrots everywhere. We picked them up as we could."
Wendy dusted off her jeans then leaned back, blinking at the scorching white light of Antarctica. There were crystals clinging to her short brown hair, her breath puffed up in a small bright cloud and the tip of her nose was red and shiny.
- "It looks like a cherry", Albus commented.
- "What?"
- "Your nose."
She sighed.
- "It's not going to work", she warned.
Albus lay in the snow too, joining his hands behind his head.
- "What?"
- "Your tactics to get to me."
There was a moment of hushed silence, during which a flock of Trillers became interested in Olaf and came to surround him with hundreds of translucent wings.
- "I wasn't trying to redeem myself", finally said Albus. "I know I shouldn't have yelled at you last night."
- "Yeah. You shouldn't have", confirmed Wendy who took out her own wand and started to shape the snow into another round and clumsy figure.
- "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
She puffed her cheek, then blew and dropped her wand. Transparent chirping birds were whirling around the snowmen.
- "What's going to happen to us, Al?" she muttered, turning to the young man.
He looked at her in the eyes.
- "I don't know", he said softly.
Wendy bit her lower lip. Her silky gray orbs misted up.
- "I don't like it when there're golden flecks in your eyes", she whispered, leaning toward him. "It's like you're not quite yourself..."
They lips touched and she kissed him softly.
- "Does that mean I'm forgiven?" Albus asked sheepishly when she straightened up, not pushing off the hand he had put on her neck.
Wendy did not answer, but she also lay in the soft snow and nuzzled against him, burying her cheek in the warm fur of his hood.
- "I don't like fighting with you", she mumbled.
- "I don't like it either", Albus replied.
Above them, the very blue sky seemed endless and the Trillers were disappearing in it like bright drops as they were soaring to the sun.
- "When Euphrosine touched my cheek, I... I saw something. Blurry pictures. The Pumpkin vehicle I'm repairing, the Tower in a blizzard, an old boat. There was a man with a funny costume and a large hall with columns of black stone... and a crying dog. I mean, it wasn't really crying, not with tears, at least, but it was howling in agony."
Wendy shuddered. She could still feel the sadness that had overwhelmed her during the flashes.
- "And then there was a light. A very beautiful light - and a shadow that was just as big and without which it could not exist..."
Albus tightened his arm around the girl, feeling her tremble.
- "And then I saw... Calcifer. He... was dancing."
Now she was crying and she did not even know why.
- "I'm scared", she stammered, clinging to his coat. "We shouldn't have tried to find the Axis..."
Albus rolled to the side and cuddled her.
- "We'll be fine", he promised, kissing her forehead.
- "I like it better when you say you're scared too", she muttered, frowning.
He chuckled.
- "Yes, but it's not cool to do so."
- "Ha-ha."
Wendy snuggled against him. She was a bit cold.
- "Tomorrow, it's Christmas. Can't you tell me now?"
Albus shook his head with an enigmatic smile. She grunted, then straightened up, as if crossed by a sudden thought, and touched his cheek.
- "You're burning up", she sighed. "Terrence is so going to kill us."
The magic was broken and he sat up, unhappy.
- "We should go", said Wendy, brushing off the snow clinging to his coat and hers, swallowing back her disappointment.
There were golden sparkles in the green eyes of Albus.
- "Not before I see what I came for", he countered firmly.
Olaf had noticed the other snowman and glanced at it. He came closer, waddling, still surrounded by a flock of translucent birds, hopped around the white figure cautiously, then furtively snuggled against it.
- "What do you want to... oh", Wendy exclaimed when the snout of a fox showed up from behind a mound of snow.
Albus crouched down and held out his hand, crooning.
The white fox cocked his head to the side. He had golden eyes fringed with black velvet, thin silky ears and a frill of immaculate fur. He hesitated, then came out of hiding and trotted toward the young man, lifting up his tail like a blue flame burning under the sun.
He sniffed Albus' fingers then licked them.
- "What is he smelling? Does he like carrots?" chirped Wendy who was dying to touch the fox but was afraid he would bit her.
- "No, it's a slice of bacon."
- "Was that in your pocket too?"
Albus giggled.
- "Sorry. I plan in advance."
- "Is this the kind of stuff you fed me last summer when we were stuck in the ice rift? Al, but it's yucky!"
He only chuckled. The fox had flattened his ears when she had raised her voice, but he relaxed. Another appeared from behind the mound and two cubs waded toward the two humans. Their waving tails were glowing orange and they were as chubby and fluffy as kittens. They tumbled on top of each other in the deep snow, whimpering happily.
Then a short, imperative yelp sounded in the plain and all ears pricked up. The baby foxes ran to the female that had not come too close and she snapped her teeth to hurry them towards the call.
The white fox that was still with Albus yapped then spun round and fled off in a few graceful leaps.
- "Let's go!" cried the young man, grabbing Wendy's hand. "We need to follow them!"
They ran, sinking in the soft snow that came up to their knees, skirted Detour Hill and eventually stopped, out of breath, watching the family of foxes disappear like a mist on the trembling white horizon of the plain.
- "Do you think they could have led us to the Gate?" Wendy panted.
Albus did not answer right away. His eyes were staring at something and the girl followed his gaze.
There was an egg-shaped jewelry box, encrusted with rubies, half buried in the snow.
oOoOoOo
Christopher Cadwallader was coming down to the boiler den with a new load of lava rocks when he heard voices. He was soaked, cold and tired, but he suddenly forgot all his troubles, and crouched in the dark stairwell to listen better.
- "Blast you, Calcifer", was saying Euphrosine wearily. "If you had not cursed me, we could have found the Gates the last time they opened. I could have told them about the signs. And now, History will repeat itself."
- "You brought it on you", replied the high-pitched voice of the daemon in the fireplace. "If Pendragon had not caught me and if you had been able to read the wall mural, then neither you nor I would have lost our hearts and we would not be prisoners of the Tower."
TBC
Next Chapter: MIDNIGHT