Black Frost Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Windows to the Soul
"Scars on your soul
Scars on your skin;
Some on the outside
Some are within;
Some have a story,
Some are unwritten;
Some you can see
But most are quite hidden…"
Defect.
And then I said… Umm… are you okay?
Y-yeah…
What's wrong with your arm?
N-nothing. Go away.
Hey! No let me see!
No! Get back!
…
H-Harry?
September 5, 1991
Hospital Wing
Harry awoke with a groan, feeling a heavy weight on his chest and a constant pounding in his head.
What the…?
As soon as the boy tried to open his eyes, he instantly regretted it. Light flooded Harry's senses, causing the boy to immediately close them as another round of pain coursed through his head.
Aw crap…
Harry slowly opened his eyes once again, and after a few minutes of looking at the ceiling, found that they had finally adjusted.
The boy then looked down to see a large mat of familiar looking blonde hair and an even more familiar sleeping girl beneath it.
Harry sighed, thinking, She's cute when she sleeps…
The young elemental moved Daphne into a seated position on her chair, careful to not wake her.
His attempt had failed.
"Wha-what?" Daphne groaned, not realizing who she was with or what type of situation she was in.
"Aww I didn't know that you cared," Harry drawled, smiling in order to make light of the situation.
Daphne was instantly on alert, blushing profusely at the mocking tone of the boy.
"Now, if I may ask, how did you find me?" Harry suddenly questioned, face set in ice.
"We heard a yell when we were walking through the hall, and when we followed it to see what was happening, we saw you passed out on the ground," Daphne easily lied, expression completely neutral while glancing towards his arm.
Bullshit… she's so lucky I can't read her mind…
"Oh, well if that's the case, I am forever in your gratitude," Harry sarcastically replied, with a look that clearly conveyed how little he believed her story.
"Ah Mr. Potter! It is nice to see that you are awake," a voice announced.
Harry turned to Dumbledore and gave the man a passive look before a white missile headed straight for the boy.
"Ms. Greengrass!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked, "Why was I not notified at once of Mr. Potter's condition! I allowed you to stay with him the night in order to monitor him!"
Daphne once again found her cheeks to become beet red, while Harry silently chuckled to himself. Dumbledore watched the whole scene with a twinkle in his eyes.
"And you!" the woman roared, as she turned to Harry, "How could you think of doing something so irrispon-"
"Listen Madam, I don't have time to sit here and listen to this shit," Harry interrupted, causing the woman to give the boy a stern look which he ignored, "What day is it?" he then asked Dumbledore.
"Thursday, Mr. Potter," the man chuckled, "And I have given you a pass from classes today in order for you to re-"
"Perfect," the boy interrupted, before jumping out of bed and summoning his clothes to him.
"I'm leaving. You can't stop me. I'm fine. Bye," Harry stated, before walking out of the room with his cloak in hand.
Madam Pomfrey stared at the boy's retreating back, dumbfounded at his attitude. After a few moments, the woman regained her composure, and yelled, "Get back here this instant!" before chasing after Harry.
The boy simply gave the woman a devilish smile that caught all of those within the room off guard before ducking behind a corner and running away.
"Well that was certainly… weird," Daphne wondered aloud, voicing the two remaining occupant's thoughts.
"Yes. I do not think that I've really seen Mr. Potter smile before," Dumbledore wistfully replied, before the old man left the Hospital Wing for his office.
Daphne simply sighed, packed her belongings, and left.
xxxXXXxxx
"Albus! Albus wait!" a voice shouted, causing the older man to stop and wait for the exhausted nurse.
"Yes Poppy?" Dumbledore asked, slightly amused at the woman's antics.
"I feel as though we should discuss what we found out about Mr. Potter, it could be impor-"
"No," Dumbledore softly commanded, instantly silencing the woman, "Whatever had happened is his business. It would not do well to press him for information in the foreseeable future. Trust me Poppy; it is for the Greater Good."
The woman's shoulders visibly sagged as she bit her lip and gave the man a nod in confirmation. She would listen to him… he was Dumbledore after all.
xxxXXXxxx
"Nurse! Nurse!" a young girl shouted as she ran into the Hospital Wing.
Madam Pomfrey was instantly on alert, rushing over to the girl and asking, "What happened my dear? Is someone hurt?"
"It's Harry. Harry Potter. He just collapsed. We didn't know what to do!" the young girl hurriedly explained.
The older woman quickly summoned some emergency supplies with a swish of her wand before having Tracey direct her towards the boy.
As soon as the pair reached the room, Pomfrey immediately went to Harry's side, clutching his head as she cast a diagnostic spell over him.
"He'll live. He just has magical exhaustion. I'll take him to the Hospital Wing, and he should be good as new in a couple of days," the woman explained, earning a sigh of relief from both of the troubled girls.
"Thank you," Daphne said, as she and Tracey followed the woman to the Hospital Wing.
"No problem dear."
When the three reached their destination, the nurse cast another spell on Harry before further examining the boy's body for any other signs of trauma.
Multiple bruises lined the boy's body from untreated injuries, with some dating as far back as seven years ago.
When she got to his wrists, she gasped in shock before quickly casting a Patronus message for Dumbledore.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Daphne questioned, worried that Harry had some unknown injury.
Poppy simply ignored her as she rushed over to the medical cabinet to grab a few potions, and to further avoid any questions.
Daphne turned to Harry and after a few moments of searching, found what the other woman had.
"Oh no…. H-Harry?"
xxxXXXxxx
Friday
After spending the entirety of yesterday practicing the Disarming Charm and avoiding Pomfrey, Harry found himself slightly relieved to be going to classes; if only to see his fellow students make fools of themselves as they attempted to get through classwork that he had already finished in a couple of weeks.
Except Daphne, he absently corrected.
As soon as he finished a lonely breakfast, the boy headed to his first class for the day; Charms.
I wonder if I can get away with studying again, the boy thought before he took his seat in the back of the class.
Fortunately, Daphne and Tracey decided to sit with him as well.
Wait… why is that a good thing?
"Hey," Tracey greeted, giving the boy a slightly worried look, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Harry sighed, not exactly feeling like reprimanding the two for talking to him.
"Are… are you sure?" Daphne asked, with an even more worried look on her face.
Harry turned to glare at the girl, finding that he once again wished that she didn't look like her so that he could read her mind.
"Why are you so concerned about my wellbeing?" the boy questioned, giving Daphne a critical look.
"It's nothing," the girl lied, sweating slightly at Harry's intense gaze.
After a couple of moments of a staring contest between the two, Harry simply shrugged it off before turning back to the book that had he borrowed from Madam Pince.
Daphne breathed out a small sigh in relief before she took out some parchment and began to take notes.
She never noticed the inquisitive look that Harry later gave her.
What is she so nervous about… Did she see the… aw fuck…
A deep frown marred the boy's face before he whispered, "I don't know what you think you saw, but just forget about it. I don't want your pity."
Daphne's eyes widened in shock until after a few moments, she gave a nod in confirmation.
Neither said anything for the rest of the period.
xxxXXXxxx
After class, Harry quickly walked to Transfiguration, not giving the annoying duo enough time to catch up with him.
I swear it's like they live to annoy me!
But what have they actually done to annoy you? a small voice in his head asked.
Well… they've… they're just annoying!
How very mature of you, the voice drawled, Just give them a chance.
Why? My only friend is her.
Bullshit! You knew her for a couple of months! Get over it already!
"Shut up!" Harry growled aloud, startling those around him as Black Frost crept from his body.
No no no. Control. You can control this… the boy thought, closing his eyes and concentrating.
The Black Frost continued to spread, covering those unaware in a thin layer of ice.
Shit!
"Harry!" a voice screamed as a hand slipped into his own.
As soon as their hands came together, the Black Frost immediately stopped, allowing Harry to open his eyes.
Two identical pairs of icy blue eyes met as the ice, which was close to consuming three people, slowly receded back into the troubled boy.
"Are you okay?" Daphne asked.
Harry gave the girl a weak smile, which caused said girl to react in kind.
"Thanks," he mumbled, before letting go of her hand and walking away, leaving behind an incredibly confused girl and a hall covered in ice.
xxxXXXxxx
Harry spent the rest of the day in a haze, constantly replaying what had happened earlier in the afternoon repeatedly in his head.
Why… why does she have that effect on me?
Is it really because she looks like her? Or is it something else….
Harry was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that it was dinner until he found himself sitting down in the Great Hall.
Shit, I'm spacing out too much…
The boy began to pack a light meal, with turkey slices and treacle tart being the only things prominently displayed on his plate.
"Why do you like that stuff? It's sooo bad," a voice questioned, causing Harry to give the offending girl a raised eyebrow.
"My friend always liked it," the boy absently replied, not even realizing what he said until it was too late.
"You? Have a friend? Really?" Daphne joked as she sat down across from him, slightly glad to hear the news, but not knowing why she was.
Harry remained silent, leading the girl to give out an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Harry automatically replied, silently cursing himself for his eagerness.
"Oh…okay?" Daphne lamely responded, not expecting the boy to actually speak again.
Harry went back to eating in silence, which led Daphne and Tracey to respond in kind.
Daphne gave her friend a confused look, which Tracey only returned back, as they once again both found themselves thinking, What is up with him?
xxxXXXxxx
Because Harry had missed his Astronomy class on Monday, he had no idea who his partner was, or what they would be doing, and frankly, he didn't care.
As the boy walked into the class atop a large tower, he thought, Just as long as I don't get someone overly stupid, I think I'll be fine. I'd even be okay with the airhead. Just not he-.
Fuck.
As soon as the boy entered the class, he immediately noticed that all of the seats were taken by every telescope.
All except one.
Right by Daphne.
The young elemental gave an irritated sigh before he glided over to the irritatingly confusing girl, not happy in the slightest to be partnered with her.
Maybe just a little happy, the voice in his head chuckled, causing Harry to give a growl to no one in particular.
Moonlight flowed through the open classroom and reflected off Daphne's blonde hair, causing Harry to think that the girl looked even more attractive than she already was.
Wait… attractive?
Of course! She is pretty cute, the voice agreed, much to Harry's chagrin.
"Hey," Daphne smiled, causing the boy's heart to skip a beat.
What is wrong with me?
"Hello," the boy simply replied, sitting down and grabbing a blank star chart.
"What are we doing today?" he asked.
"We're studying Orion. We have to map it and then research the myth behind it," Daphne supplied, as she searched for the widely known constellation in her telescope.
"Orion? That's easy. He was a hunter born from Poseidon and a Gorgon I believe. I mean, there are many different versions of the story, but I do remember that he had a dog named Sirius. His lover was the Goddess of the Dawn, Eos, and she had a twin sister known as Selene, the Goddess of the Moon. Like all real heroes, his story ended in tragedy," Harry explained, surprising the girl with his knowledge of mythology.
"Oh… well can you fit that in 6 inches?" Daphne joked, eliciting a small laugh from the boy, which caused the girl to stare at him in wonderment.
"I'm sure that I can find a way," Harry chuckled, as his eyes flashed a familiar icy blue.
"How do you do that?" Daphne questioned, as it wasn't the first time that she had seen this happen.
"Do what?" Harry asked, feeling much more talkative for some reason.
"Your eyes… sometimes they look like mine," Daphne answered, causing the boy to freeze up.
"W-what?" Harry questioned, eyes widening in shock.
Daphne was taken aback, as she had never before seen the boy so surprised, or, dare she say it, frightful.
"Y-you didn't know?" she stuttered.
Harry sighed as he unconsciously gripped his necklace.
"No… I didn't."
"So then… what does this mean?"
"I don't know…"
Author's Note:
Wowwwww, lotta stuff there!
So my Snapchat thing was a total fail (x I guess that's what happens when you're up for 36+ hours and then trying to sit through eight movies. I made it to four though, so I guess I can be kinda happy?
I guess I can use that snap to do other stuff, but I really don't know what. Any suggestions?
Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites! My next goal is 500 favorites and 1000 followers. I hope that I can make it (: help me out? These things keep me going, especially those reviews, as feedback is great to have.