Darkness Calling: Chapter 20
The rest of our holiday went so much smoother than the time that we spent in Atlanta. Hermione brought me to meet the rest of the Weasley clan at the Burrow and we stayed there for a few days. At first, Molly was standoffish to me and I thought it was because I was a Slytherin, but come to find out she was just upset that Hermione hadn't chosen her son. She got over it though. By the end of our stay she gave me a hug that was just as big as she gave to any of the others and said to me, "Welcome to the family, dear." She reminded me a lot of my aunt.
Once we left the Burrow, we returned to Ireland to spend our last couple of days with Addi. She fussed over us about getting our clothes done and repacking my trunk, considering I had just shoved everything inside of it. On our last night home, Addi gave Petri the night off and cooked a homemade meal by herself. She wouldn't let us help at all. At the end of the night while we were all sitting around enjoying each others' company, Addi pulled out a package and handed it to me.
"It's for the both of you. Just something to commemorate your first Christmas together." She told us with a smile.
Hermione tore the paper wrapping away from an ornate frame of dark mahogany. The picture that resided in it brought tears to my eyes. It was the photo that Addi had snapped before Christmas of Hermione and I holding each other and laughing in the snow. We looked so happy – like there was no one else in the world, but us. The me in the photo kept tickling Hermione, making her fall into a fit of giggles, but we would always end up kissing.
"Addi," Hermione began emotionally, "This is amazing. I can't believe you captured this moment for us."
"You're welcome, dear." She answered.
I was so overcome with emotion that I didn't know what to say. All I could do was stand up and pull Addi into a hug. We held onto each other and in that moment I realized something – Addi was the mom that I had been wanting my entire life; someone who accepted and even celebrated every part of me. Hermione joined our group hug and by the end of it we were all crying. I was the first to pull away.
"You guys mean the world to me." I said wiping away my tears. "You are my family and I never want to lose sight of that." More hugs were given, but eventually, we were shooed off to bed. Hermione wrapped our new picture frame gently in a handkerchief and stored it in her trunk.
We went to sleep holding each other and slept peacefully all night, but morning came all too soon. Addi was up at the crack of dawn preparing a hearty breakfast and sandwiches for us to take on the train. We brought down our trunks and did a quick search of the house before stepping into the cold morning air to disapparate to Platform nine and three-quarters.
The platform was just as busy as we expected it to be. Harry was there with the rest of the Weasleys. Molly and Addi hit it off immediately, talking about the kids and other household witchy things. Before any of us realized it, the train's warning whistle was blowing and we had to say our goodbyes and find a seat. Hermione went with Ginny, Harry, and Ron to find a compartment with the other Gryffindors while I searched the train for my Slytherin friends.
It didn't take me long to find my group of misfit friends. I slid the compartment door open and said, "Got room for one more?"
"Jay! How was your holiday?" Sabrina asked me as she jumped up to give me a hug.
"It was probably the best Holiday I've ever had." I replied. I sat down next to her and smiled at all of them. I had really missed them.
Stephanie had changed hair colors again and she was sitting across from us with the arm of a younger boy that I didn't recognize slung around her shoulders. "This is Toby. He's a sixth year Ravenclaw." She told me matter-of-factly.
"Nice to meet you, Toby." I told him as I shook his free hand. It looked like our group had become plus-one.
We spent the next hour sharing stories of what we got for Christmas and what vacations we went on. I felt like it was the most normal conversation that I have ever had with friends. For some reason everything felt different – a little lighter. I don't know, it could have just been the high we were all on from Christmas or maybe it was just me. Maybe it was the fact that for once, with my realization about Addi, I was living a normal life.
"So Jay," Steph said, interrupting my musings. "I think you are due for a makeover, don't you think?" I smiled and sat down on the floor between her legs. This should be interesting…
Later that night when I hopped off the train with my new dreads, I got some pretty wild stares, but I loved every moment of it. I loved having something different than anyone around me. Steph had done an epic job. She trimmed my bangs so that they would frame my face, rather than being the same length as the rest of my hair and she colored every fifth dread she made Slytherin-green. My hair had been so long, that even dreadlocked, it fell down my back below my shoulder blades. Before I entered the castle, I caught a glance of my reflection in one of the huge windows. I stopped for a moment and pulled my new locks back into a messy twist, smiling at the finished result.
"Hey stud, are you coming inside or are you going to keep staring at yourself?" Sabrina jokingly asked, as she passed me.
I caught up with her and said excitedly, "Admit it, I look badass with dreads!"
She pushed me away and called me a narcissist while laughing at my comment.
Dinner was phenomenal, as usual, but the best part was when Ginny caught sight of me and nudged Hermione in the side. When her eyes caught mine, I smiled and even though she looked shocked, she gave me a thumbs-up. Ginny was in hysterics next to her, but it didn't seem malicious at all. After dinner, I saw Hermione wander off with Harry and Ron while Ginny came to intercept me before I headed down to our common room.
"Okay, I am totally jealous of your hair right now." She said once she reached me. "It looks totally badass!'
I laughed at her reaction. "Yeah, that's what I said too. What did Hermione think?"
Ginny doubled over laughing. "Her- Her reaction was priceless… She spilled pumpkin juice all over Lavender Brown when she saw you. She was like 'Holy Shit,' but she likes it."
"That's a relief. I didn't tell her I was doing it on purpose because I didn't know how she would react."
"Oh and she asked me to give this to you." Ginny mentioned as she passed me a small bit of parchment with Hermione's handwriting on it.
I pocketed the note and Ginny and I talked for a couple more minutes before we said goodnight and made our way to our separate dorms. It was late and I knew McGonagall would be expecting me to show her what I had practiced over the break first thing in the morning. When I got to my room and dressed for bed, I unfolded Hermione's note and read it.
Jay, I know that we had planned on meeting up tonight, but I hope you don't mind if I cancel? I'm really sorry, but Harry said that he needed to speak with Ron and myself privately. He said it was really important. I promise I'll come by tomorrow night.
I love you, 'Mione.
Ps: I love you hair :)
I can't say that I wasn't disappointed, but it wasn't unexpected. The Trio hadn't really had a chance to catch up on their private affairs over the break, so it made since that Harry would want to talk with them. Oh well, I'll see her tomorrow… Before I went to bed, I did my nightly pushups and sit-ups before crawling into bed and falling asleep.
When I woke up, my back was killing me. I felt like I hadn't slept at all because I tossed and turned all night. I had gotten so used to Hermione sleeping next to me that I just couldn't get comfortable. When I tried to go to my bathroom, I stubbed my toe on the bed leg.
"FUCK!" I yelled. I looked down and my little toe was already starting to swell and turn purple. "Great! It's going to be one of those days…"
I fell back down on my bed and just lay there with my eyes closed and my foot throbbing. That was when I heard a knock come from the door in my wardrobe. Hermione stepped through and she was carrying toast. "You missed breakfast," she said.
"I couldn't sleep last night and on top of that I think I broke my toe." I said, sourly.
"Let me see it." Hermione sat the toast down on my bedside table and examined my foot. She prodded my angry pinky toe and it sent a jolt of pain up my foot.
"Ouch!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you broke it. Do you want me to go with you to Madam Pomfrey?" She asked.
"No…" I sat up to inspect my foot. "I can fix it."
I rolled over and got my wand from under my pillow. "Episkey," I muttered. We both heard the small popping noise it made as the bone snapped back together. The relief was immediate.
"Can't I just stay in bed today?" I asked of no one in particular, but Hermione answered me.
"Jay, you have to go to class. You don't want Professor McGonagall to start off this term with a grudge against you for not showing up to a private lesson with her." She said this in the most Hermione of ways.
"Ugh, fine…" I stood up slowly and walked to my bathroom.
I had just started to brush my teeth when I heard Hermione say from my room, "I really like your hair by the way."
I spit out the toothpaste into the sink and peeked my head around the corner. "Do you really?"
"Yeah, I think it suits you."
I finished getting ready at warped speed and within five minutes Hermione and I were saying goodbye and going our separate ways. I hated that we still had to keep our relationship a secret, but I wasn't really given a choice in the matter. My walk to Professor McGonagall's office was short and I knocked on her door with only a minute to spare.
"Cutting it close this morning, Miss Harrison." She said, not looking up from the scroll she was reading.
"Sorry professor, I'll be early next time." I replied.
She rolled up her scroll and set it down on her desk before saying, "You practiced what we talked about, I'm sure."
"I did." I replied. "I think it paid off, too. I was able to shift and stay in my raven form for an hour without needing a break."
"That's very good. I think maybe it is time you learned to fly."
"Seriously?" I was shocked that she seemed so confident in my abilities.
"When am I not serious? It is the next step in this process and I've already enlisted a little help from a friend to help you do so. He'll be here starting Wednesday and he will tutor you until you have the basics down." She scribbled something down on her notepad before continuing, "But for now, I want you to spend the rest of the hour shifting back and forth. Each time stay in your raven form longer than the last."
I sat my bags down in the corner and did as she told me. It was tiring, especially since she kept shouting out random instructions. By the end of the hour, I was more than grateful. She had put me through my paces. When lunch rolled around, I wanted nothing more than to find Hermione, but even if could have had lunch with her, she didn't have the same lunch hour as I did. I ended up eating alone before I went to Potions.
"Afternoon, Professor Slughorn." I said to him as walked into his classroom.
"Good afternoon. I'm glad you are here early. I found a recipe for a potion that I wanted to try my hand at. Would you like to help me?"
"Sure thing," I replied.
The potion was a complicated one and I understood why he asked for my assistance. It was a potion for synthetic blood for vampires that, when brewed correctly, curbed the thirst for human blood. Our finished product seemed to be the right color and consistency, but there was no way to tell for sure if it worked.
"Well, I guess that will be one that goes back into the archives." He said, as he poured some of the potion into an empty vial and placed a copy of the parchment with the recipe on it in a large tome behind his desk. "You never know when something like this will come in handy. Thank you for your help. Would you mind retuning the original to Professor Snape?"
I left and headed to Snape's office. He wasn't my favorite professor at Hogwarts, but I was learning a great deal from him defensively, so I tried my best to stay on his good side. Even then, he still didn't seem too fond of me. My guess is that it bothered him that he hadn't been able to stump me, yet; Well, at least with spells that I had learned previously. Every once in a while, when he felt the need to put me in my place, he would throw something at me that I had no clue how to defend myself against. At those times, I was always left with a feeling that he could tear me to shreds if he so desired.
When I got there, his door was ajar. I pushed it open slowly and called out, "Professor Snape, are you in?" There was no answer so I decided to wait inside for just a moment to see if he would come back. I was looking at his book collection, when I heard him speak from the doorway.
"What are you doing in my office?" He had a monotonous voice that grated on my nerves, but I didn't let it show.
"Sorry, Sir. I just wanted to drop this off for Professor Slughorn." I handed him the parchment and turned to the door to leave. He caught my arm before I could get away and spun me around to look him dead in the eye. Before I could even think to close off my mind, he was there searching for something. I scrambled to throw up my mental walls, but I couldn't stop his forceful intrusion. It didn't last long, but it leaves a nasty headache when it happens.
"Your attempt to shut me out was feeble, at best and if you had been trained properly, I would not have been able to penetrate your mind so easily."
"Then teach me." I said with more vehemence than I probably should have, but my head was pounding. "You are always telling me how I am mediocre, but I haven't shown you anything to suggest that I am weak."
"You are not weak, but you are also not disciplined and without discipline you are mediocre." He said.
"Then how can I improve? I don't want to be perceived as weak."
"To defend yourself from dark magic, you need to know what you are defending yourself against. You need to know how the magic works, how it feels before you can shield it from yourself or others."
The words he was saying were beginning to sink in and I knew what I needed to ask, but I needed to word it carefully. "Professor, I'm sorry if I am overstepping my boundaries, but if what you say is true, then shouldn't I be learning how to wield the stronger magic that you speak of?"
"Are you asking me to teach you dark offensive spells, Miss Harrison?" He asked.
"Yes, I am." I decided for honesty since he would know if I was lying. "I want to be the strongest witch that I can be. If I don't know what it is that I am defending myself against, then I will never reach my full potential."
After a moment of glaring at each other, Snape said, "Then we start in the morning. Come prepared because if you do not show promise, we will not continue." With that he dismissed me and I was on my own outside of his office.
As I walked back to my room, thoughts of the encounter raced through my brain. I had been thinking of different ways to get Snape to teach me more than he was for a long time and now that it was a reality, I didn't really know what to think. I wasn't stupid; I knew that being with Hermione would eventually have its consequences. I knew that one day I was either going to have to defend myself or her against some unknown danger and I wanted to be as prepared for that moment as I possibly could be and if getting that information out of Snape is what I needed to do, then I would do whatever it takes.
Later that night, Hermione came to my room and we spent it doing normal, everyday things. I never told her about my encounter with Snape and what he was going to be teaching me. I knew for sure that she didn't trust him and she most likely wouldn't approve of my new curriculum. Needless to say, when she asked me what was with my serious mood, I brushed her off like it was no big deal. Hindsight being 20/20, I probably should have told her.