CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
I managed to fall asleep at some point during the night, so when the textbooks began arriving below me again, I was angrily rattled awake. After getting breakfast and making some tea, I began my main task of the day: Practicing potions.
I checked with Dumbledore first, and though he approved, he wanted Professor Slughorn present just in case anything went wrong. So, we both went to retrieve him from his room, and after I waited for him to eat breakfast, we walked together into the dungeons.
He stayed in the office throughout the morning, taking Dumbledore's word for it that I was as masterful as he said I was (he did not remember me, nor that I was the one who brewed the potion that ended his cough). This gave me the opportunity to brew two potions at once, which is something I knew that neither Severus or Dumbledore would allow me to do.
But my careful planning kept both running smoothly, and when they were finished brewing in the early afternoon, I bottled them and stored them in Severus's collection. I then began cleaning up, which Professor Slughorn noticed and stepped out of the office to help with.
"I can do it," I assured him, but he raised his arm anyway. "Wait, I want to know the spell."
"You probably wouldn't be able to perform it," he grinned. "It's not native to Britain, and most wizards and witches from here have trouble with it."
"I'm only half British," I said sternly. "Teach me the spell."
He wrote it down and accented the correct parts so that I would pronounce it correctly.
But I remembered the spell. I collapsed into the nearby desk chair as the memory overwhelmed me.
"Breeze, you should watch me," Mother smiled, lifting her spell-finger, as she called it. I stepped back with a smile and watched the toys dance through the air, all returning to their correct places in an instant.
"Do it again!" I exclaimed, but she shook her head.
"And remember, Breezy, that little secret is just between us," she grinned, lightly thumbing my cheeks.
"You will be able to use it," Professor Slughorn whispered. "Which element are you? I'm wind."
"Wait, my mother was a wind element too," I murmured. "I'm fire. Will I be able to use it without taking the whole place down with me?" I asked. He chuckled, nodding his head.
"This part here is the elemental parts. Earth signs use their own lettering, water signs theirs, and fire signs use this one," he explained, writing down each but underlining the one I could use. "How do you not know about the spells if you have the abilities?"
"I haven't been in contact with my family. My aunt is sending me books though. I want to learn about American potions."
"They're just the same as the potions here," he said. "I'd focus on the spells. Not only are they more interesting, they increase your abilities ten-fold. Now try it, and be sure to use your ending. Using another one would cause your flame to overpower it, and ka-boom! No more Hogwarts," he smirked.
I knew that I wouldn't have a "spell finger" like my mother, so I used what I normally did: My telekinetic powers. Using my mind, I cast the spell. I heard things shifting in front of my closed eyes, and when I opened them, the room was spotless.
"You're very powerful," Slughorn murmured. "You should learn more of your heritage too. It will help you learn more about your abilities as you grow."
"I have been," I whispered. "I've been like this for twenty-one years: I know a lot about my abilities, all through trial and error."
"I knew there was something," he nodded, grabbing some papers out of Severus's desk for some later grading. "You have more potential than you realize. Many American witches don't come into full power until late adulthood, usually after they're granted an Elder status in their community. If you've already learned about your abilities, and you haven't found too many more, then you're already there. The way you cast that spell proves you know what you're doing, and it proves your strength. Not many American witches have strong mental abilities, aside from the old ones or the ones who have a powerful destiny.
"I know it's not my place, but have you received a raven?" he asked. I nodded quietly. He took a deep breath, stepping back with a stunned look on his face. "When you get out of that second-year's body, you're going to be a very powerful witch. I suggest forgetting this place and seeking out your special destiny."
"What if it's here?" I asked. He chuckled softly before catching my gaze. He cleared his throat softly.
"If it is, I'd be shocked. Most American witches have to travel to their homeland, or at least some other strange place. That could be why you're here. Yes, your American parent might've fallen in love with a witch or wizard to give you half-blood status for both, but they could've also been following their destiny."
"Which means mine could still be here," I added. He gave me a strange look. "I feel like I'm meant to be here. The curse is just an added bonus, as far as I'm concerned. If I wasn't so easily forgotten and if I wasn't so invisible, it'd be a blessing."
"I'm glad you're so optimistic about your fate," he murmured, returning to the office.
After gathering lunch for the raven, he and I walked the grounds. Spring was here to stay, and flowers were everywhere. The sun also felt nice on my skin, and I couldn't wait for summer to come so I could sleep with the windows open again and spend my days wandering the grounds.
But this year would be different. I had a position within the school, I was mere months from having my curse broken, and I was in-
I cut off the thought, finding the raven in the sky high above me. I focused on his flight patterns, trying to get the horrible blushing to go away.
I'm glad you find this funny, Aunt Breeze, I said loudly into my thoughts. I didn't have a connection with her, so she probably didn't hear them. But someone did, and I realized in slight horror that the connection between Severus and me was open.
'What's funny? What have you done?' Severus asked. My face was burning, and I felt slightly dizzy. I sat down in the cool grass as the raven flew to me.
'Nothing, nothing. And nothing is wrong here. I've been practicing potions all morning. I stored what I produced. They turned out well,' I responded quickly.
'Thank you,' he nodded. 'Why are you so nervous? Is something wrong?'
'No, you just caught me by surprise is all,' I replied after carefully thinking of my response.
'I'm sorry, it's just that I'm on a train to Hogwarts now, so we have time to talk now. Do you have time to talk?' he asked.
'Yes. I was just taking a walk with the raven.'
'I've worked through another part of the curse. It's one of the memory aspects, so I might be able to break that aspect as well. I didn't know if I'd be able to at first because of how strong they seemed to be, but they really appear to be weak when you analyze everything.'
'Maybe that's why Hagrid remembers me,' I suggested. He shook his head.
'I realized that the curse only worked on humans when I broke that section. Hagrid remembers you because he's a giant, so the memory aspects don't affect him. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that sooner, but I wasn't aware that you were curious about that.'
'I only wrote down some theories. That's been far down on my list of worries,' I chuckled, keeping the real worries from popping up in my head by violently plucking a flower from the ground.
'I can explain every aspect when I return to the school, if you have the time.'
'I should have the time. The potions from this morning didn't take too long at all, though I did have a chat with Professor Slughorn. His clean-up spell is the same my mother used. He's a wind element like they are.'
'Should you have admitted your predicament to him?' Severus asked sternly.
'If Dumbledore trusted him enough to allow him into your position, then I think I'll be fine. Why? Is Slughorn one of them?'
'I've heard the name Slughorn mentioned occasionally, but I'm not sure. You should still be more careful.'
'He doesn't realize how good I am, I don't think. He says I have good potential though. He scolded me for even thinking of staying here.'
'Why would he do that?'
'He says that American witches have destinies, and they often have to travel to get to them. He says that could be why my mother was here and encountered a wizard to have me. I suggested that her destiny and mine were interlinked, but he still thinks it's elsewhere.'
'What's your theory?' Severus asked. He was thinking heavily about something, but he was keeping those thoughts from the connection.
'I'm going to do as I please. As I mentioned, I think my future is here. If it were elsewhere, I'm sure I would've seen that already, or at least felt unwanted here. I've never felt that way, even as a child,' I murmured. He nodded softly as I felt wetness come over me: It had started to pour down rain.
I quickly made sure no one was looking, then I transported both the raven and me back to the loft.
'I forgot to mention there was some weather coming in,' Severus grinned.
'Oh you enjoyed that,' I laughed, shaking off the excess water. I realized very quickly that I needed to change all of my clothes though. 'So you'll be back tonight?' I asked.
'Supposedly,' he replied. 'Weather tends to slow them down. It's been raining here for a few hours, and we're about thirty minutes behind. Dumbledore already promised to let me inside. I have to meet with him before I can go to bed. And in the morning I have to meet with Slughorn about my classes. They did get better when he was cured?'
'Very much so. I think the students actually miss you,' I grinned. He smiled, but I could tell he was slightly offended. 'I recommend some hard exams to let them know that you're still the strictest potions teacher in the history of education.'
'That's not why I teach the way I do,' he said sternly.
'I'm aware of that. You and I have had some real quacks here in our past. Tanwick was the worst, but you didn't have him.'
'Did he just teach for the OWLs?' Severus asked. I nodded, and he nodded in understanding. 'Many teachers have done that in the past, but I am not one of them, and you shouldn't be either.'
'I'm in it for the skills, not the tests. I've never taken them, remember?'
'I'm surprised Albus could secure your internship without testing records. He has his ways of doing things though. Maybe in the future you'll have to take them, but if no one asks, just remember how lucky you are.'
'I know yours didn't go well,' I whispered. 'I mean, you were successful, but...I'll quit reminding you.'
'How did you know about that?' he asked.
'James Potter is not only a two-faced prick, he enjoyed loudly bragging about his deeds. I heard him the next day in the hallways chanting things at you. I knew they happened during the test, especially because your mood was so foul afterwards. If you were a flame witch like me, you'd be a walking fire ball,' I grinned. 'I hate to say this because of the other things that have happened, but he was good riddance,' I whispered quietly. I felt his hurt in reference to Lily, but he softly nodded in agreement.
Rain and wind pounded the window as more textbooks were delivered below. I made sure I sent the sounds through, and he acknowledged that our current places weren't that much different from each other. He didn't have the ability to send background sounds to me, but he described a snoring businessman, a crying baby, and a pair of ginger twins who kept running up and down the aisle.
'You'll be back soon,' I smiled. He nodded in agreement, smiling back.
Soon the rain lulled us both into naps. We shared the same dreams, and when I awakened and realized what happened, I knew that there really was nothing I could do about this crush of mine. It simply wouldn't fade until one of two things happened: I became an adult and he accepted my feelings with open arms, or when I became an adult and got rejected.
Either way, there was nothing more I could do in this second-year body. The curse needed to be broken, and I was finally ready for it to happen.
A/N: This fan fiction is far from over (as you can tell if you've made it this far, reading each word along the way). But I'll be on hiatus for the entire summer, meaning I won't be able to update even if I am still writing. I'll try to upload the rest when I can, so be patient! And if you love it, please review (even if you hate it, please review: I like critiques). See you guys in August!
