Chapter Eleven - A Ghostly Mystery and a Gory Beginning
But I wonder, where were you?
When I was at my worst
Down on my knees
And you said you had my back*
As soon as October starts, the bats start to descend. Enchanted bats, to be more precise. The professors spent the first day of the month – a chilly and quiet Saturday – decorating every inch of the castle. Rubeus could be seen carrying humongous pumpkins to the Great Hall, where Professor Sprout was armed to carve them. Professor Flitwick was excitedly adding pending spiders to every archway, which sang spooky songs whenever someone walked under them. His classroom was properly decorated too; there was even a different rug on the floor, bearing moving images of pumpkins laughing. Though Professor Snape wasn't much thrilled to engage in the festivities, he sympathized enough to add spooky warning signs around the dungeons. The one next to his classroom entrance said "Beware of the troll".
The Ozzy Osbourne song we are practicing in the Choir sounds better through the course of the days. Even the frogs seem excited to perform such spooky song and their croaks are deep and melodic, adding to the whole sinister atmosphere.
Dumbledore can be seen displaying his whole Halloween wardrobe. One day he is wearing bright orange robes and a purple hat and on the other he is flaunting neon green robes and a black hat adorned by many tarantulas. Professor McGonagall is a little more discrete, just adjusting her usual dark robes by wearing spooky jewellery like a spider necklace or pentagram earrings.
Even the Quidditch pitch is decorated accordingly. The towers across the bleachers bear orange and purple flags and there are some pumpkins over the lawn. I make use of them, by placing them strategically as obstacles and even enchant some of them to float around in order to make the practice harder.
"All right, witches," I say. "Today's practice shall be a little different. We are only a month away from the beginning of the season. Our first match against Hufflepuff is scheduled to November 19th. I want everyone strong and ready to kick those badgers' arses, okay? We lost the Cup to Gryffindor last year, but this won't happen again this year. I want you all running a few laps around the pitch, jumping over the pumpkins, okay? We need to be sharp and precise in order to win. NOW LET'S GO!"
It's immensely fun to see the astonishment in their faces as they process what I just said. One by one they begin to run, sometimes stumbling on the pumpkins. I laugh as I follow them, enjoying the feeling that comes with running and with the stunts I perform upon the huge orange fruits. Andre tries to mimic me, but his strong beater arms don't provide him with the back and leg flexibility for him to make a cartwheel over the pumpkins. Instead, he falls heavily on the ground. I watch him get up, dust his uniform and continue to run with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.
Once we finish our warm up, we climb on our brooms to begin the practice. The balls are released and I smile as the Snitch flies around my head a few times, as if it is provoking me.
"The flying pumpkins will serve as the other team's players. This time you won't simply chase balls and perfect your pirouettes. You'll have to dodge the pumpkins as if they're our opponents," I say. "You have to be prepared for everything, that's why they're enchanted to make unpredictable movements, okay? Now let's get this party started!"
The pumpkins add both a Halloweenish spirit and a hint of difficulty to our practice. Blair seems to be agile enough to dodge the pumpkins while managing to find the Snitch not once, but four times. It fills my heart with joy to see the team playing beautifully even amongst the weird obstacles. Vicky is hit on the back by a small pumpkin just once, but it barely affects her balance. If anything, she looks almost amused.
When my watch marks ten after four, I wave my wand to make the pumpkins return to their initial places. We all make our ways to the lawn, where we stand in a large circle.
"You are doing amazing, guys," I tell them. "We will surely win this year. Now let's hit the showers and move on with our day. I'll see you all on Wednesday."
"Aye, Captain!" Andre shouts, excitedly, before following the guys to the boys' locker.
I take my broom to the broom closet and find my way to the shower right after. The feeling of warm water falling over my tired body is incredible and putting on my uniform right after makes me feel ready to face a few hours of intense study.
I grab my books and notes of the important O.W.L subjects and head straight to the library, where I find Rowan sitting in a table near a window. She has a frown upon her face and keeps pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and she looks extremely professional, dipping the quill in the ink and writing in her flawless penmanship. Suited for the role of Prefect, to say the very least. She spots me walking towards her and her lips curl in a smile. I find a place in front of her and proceed to organize my notes.
There's an arrow going from one of my writings towards to corner of the page, reminding me to check Ezedore Aforn's book on pixies. I head to the corridor where the magical creatures' books are placed and look for the book under the letter A.
"Adyrin… Aegon… Affea… Aforn," I read, withdrawing Ezedore's thin book from the shelf.
As I'm about to open it to check the summary, I feel someone's hand resting heavily on my shoulder.
I turn around abruptly, finding the cranky figure of Mr. Filch staring at me. I swallow hard, but the fact that he doesn't seem angry makes me ease the tension a little bit.
"Mr. Filch," I say. "Is there something wrong?"
He clenches his jaw. "It seems that I've been wrong about you. Someone broke into my office again, making a mess just like the other time. Only this time, I got to see the filthy vandal before he escaped."
I raise my brows. "Really? Did you manage to catch him? Did you recover the stolen objects?"
He looks away, annoyed. "Not really. The creature is as slimy as the Giant Squid. And the Headmaster doesn't do a thing to purge him from this castle."
"Well," I say. "At least you know who the guilty it."
"That is exactly what I am here for," he says, taciturn.
"To… apologize for accusing me of theft?" I try.
He looks away again and produces a deep, contradicted noise. "I know you have a way with the occult. I want you to recover these stolen items, given that the Headmaster doesn't care about it."
I cross my arms. "And why do you care?"
"Because such objects, if in the wrong hands, are the beginning for chaos. I need them back where they belong. Confiscated."
I squint my eyes. "Very well, then. But I have a few questions first. What is this map everyone is so obsessed about?"
He snorts. "Just an obnoxious creation from a group of miscreants. They used to call themselves Marauders. A ridiculous name, if you want my opinion."
"Uh-huh," I say. "And why is this map so damn important?"
"Apparently it's filled with dark magic," he says. "It shows doors to other worlds and the entrances of hell."
"I don't think that's even possible."
He grumbles. "Perhaps it's not that dark. I guess it's a map of the castle. Something like that."
"Uh-huh," I repeat. "Well, Mr. Filch, it's your lucky day. I'll find your thief and recover the objects."
"Perfect."
"With one condition."
He rolls his eyes. "What do you want?"
I look him firmly in the eyes. "The map. I want to have it for as long as it is useful. When I graduate, I'll return it to your office, where it belongs."
"That's is out of question!" he grumbles.
"SILENCE!" we hear Madam Pince shout from her desk, a few corridors away.
I clench my jaw, staring at him with defiance. "Then there's no deal for you. If you'll excuse me, I have O. to study for."
"All right, all right!" he says, irritated. "You can have the damn map. But the runes… the books… the talismans… I want them all back in those archives. Am I clear?"
I smirk, fulfilled. "Crystalline."
He looks away. "I can't believe I'm doing deals with students… What the hell is wrong with me? There must be this curse that is making my head work improperly…" he mumbles, annoyed.
"You didn't mention who stole the objects from your office," I say.
"I thought it was obvious," he says. "No other creature could be able of such indecency like that damn poltergeist."
"Peeves? What would he even do with magical artefacts?"
"I don't even want to know that," he spits. "Just recover the objects and stop asking me questions."
He turns around and leaves, leaving me alone with Ezedore's book and a new quest. Dealing with Peeves doesn't seem to concern me as it usually would. The fact that the Marauder's Map, an objects that seems of major importance to Rakepick, is just around the corner, seems to bring confidence to my soul. I return to the chair in front of Rowan, who seems to be concentrated calculating some predictions for her Arithmancy homework.
I find it easier to focus on my studies now that the map is clean in the horizon. Given that Halloween is one of Peeves' favourite holidays – apart from April's Fools -, October will be the perfect month to find him engaging in all kinds of pranks around the school. And, perhaps, this is another time I'll have to count with Tonks and Tulip's expertise.
"Melofors!" Tonks shouts from behind one of the greenhouses, aiming her wand at a first-year Slytherin that's walking by.
The orange spell hits the head of the little boy, which immediately transforms into a pumpkin. The eyes and mouth carved on it denote the complete panic in his heart. He takes his hands to his head and proceeds to run and scream when he feels the smooth surface of the giant pumpkin that now is his head.
"Tonks, I'm not your Prefect, but we all have to agree that this is extremely wrong," Rowan says, crossing her arms as Tonks and Tulip turn abruptly to face us.
"C'mon!" Tulip says. "It's fun!"
"It's not fun," Rowan says. "And it's a poor excuse for a spell. That boy could be traumatized for life!"
"I hope it prevents him from becoming an evil wizard, then," Tonks says.
"Not all Slytherins are evil and you know that," I say. "Look at Liz and Barnaby. They couldn't hurt a doxy!"
Tonks shrugs. "It's Friday, girls. Let us have some fun before we die of boredom."
Rowan rolls her eyes. "This is not why we're even here."
"Yes," I say. "We kinda need your help."
Tulip crosses her arms. "Really? What for?"
"We need you to summon Peeves," I say.
"Same question," she says. "What for?"
I cross my arms too. "We need him in order to retrieve an artefact."
Tulip and Tonks exchange stares and both their lips curl in mischievous smirks, which make me feel extremely uneasy.
"Fine, then," Tulip says. "With one condition."
"This life seems full of conditions," Rowan says, vexed. "What do you want?"
Tonks smiles. "We'll summon Peeves and get your artefact… if you walk around with pumpkin heads today."
"What?" Rowan shrieks. "What's the necessity of it?"
They shrug.
"It's fun," Tonks says.
"Not the entire day," Tulip adds. "Just until bedtime."
"This means we'll have to eat dinner with pumpkin heads," I say.
Rowan pokes me with her elbow. "At least we don't have any more classes today. Dinner won't be as embarrassing as showing up at Potions class with pumpkin heads."
I roll my eyes. "Fine. Cast the damn jinx and summon Peeves for us."
They smile. Tulip aims her wand at Rowan, while Tonks aims hers at me. I sigh as they shriek in excitement, casting the spells towards us. Once the orange smoke dissipates, I don't feel anything different. Just when Rowan looks at me and proceeds to knock on my head is that I'm aware that we both have large and bright orange pumpkin heads.
"Remarkable," Rowan says to the hollow sound that is produced every time she knocks. "Can you feel this?"
"Of course I can!" I push her hand away. "You're knocking on my head!"
"I feel so ridiculous," she says. "Check out the size of this thing! At least it's relatively light, or we wouldn't be able to walk!"
I turn to Tonks and Tulip, who are laughing out loud with their hands pressed on their stomachs. I roll my eyes again, though I'm not sure if the hollow, black eyes carved on my enchanted pumpkin head can show all my annoyance.
"You had your fun now," I say. "Now, please, summon Peeves so we can move on with our lives."
"Your pumpkin lives, you mean," Tulip says, chortling.
"Oh, Athena, you're so orange today!" Tonks adds, joining the laughter.
Even Rowan, standing next to me, lets out a giggle. I punch her arm and she smiles at me. Her Jack-O'-Lantern smile is a little creepy, but not as creepy as some of the pumpkins decorating the school grounds.
Tulip opens her backpack, grabbing a small flask a reddish potion. She removes the cork and takes a long, satisfied gulp.
"Do you randomly drink potions like this?" Rowan asks.
"It's a Fire-Breathing Potion," Tonks explains. "We found out that Peeves is a true pyromaniac poltergeist. This will make him come our way in a second."
Tulip lets out a burp, which produces a bit of smoke. She smiles, excited, before breathing a long line of flames towards the sky. The fire is bright red and warm and Rowan and I take a step back before we become a pair of roasted pumpkins.
"That was… discrete," Rowan says.
"You want Peeves, don't you?" Tulip says.
A loud snap startles us as a whimsical figure pops right above our heads. Rowan and I almost jump out of our skins as the eccentric poltergeist stares at us with a huge, devilish smile.
"You're the most boring dragon I've ever seen," he says, snickering maliciously.
I swallow hard. "We need your help, Peeves."
"With burning, exploding or screaming?" he asks, turning upside down, so his smile looks like an immense frown.
I clench my jaw. "With finding the Marauder's Map."
"Why would I give a map to you two loopy-loos?" he asks. "Or should I say… two loony pumpkins?"
"We need the map to save the school from this awful portrait curse," I say."
He scratches his chin, pensive. "Hmm… saving the castle does give me more chances to ruin it…"
I look at Rowan, whose pumpkin head shows that she's just as annoyed as I am.
"What does the map look like?" Peeves asks.
"How should I know?" I ask. "You were the one who stole it from Filch's office."
Peeves laughs. "Yeah, I remember that. I've took a lot of things off of ol' Filchy."
"I'm sure you did," I say. "You're the Prank Master of this castle."
Peeves' smile broadens. "Tell me something new. Oh, yes. I just remembered where I put the map!"
I look at him, anxious. "Where?"
He blinks at me. "My friend told me not to tell you."
Rowan rolls her eyes as he laughs hysterically.
"And who is your friend?" she inquires.
He looks at her, serious. "Not you."
"C'mon, Peeves! This is important!" I say.
"Good luck, schmuck! He hates Jacob Lockhart even more than he hates potions! He'll never let you have the map, young lunatic Lockhart!"
With another loud snap, he disappears.
"GOD DAMMIT!" Rowan shouts, vexed. "WHAT A HUGE WASTE OF TIME!"
"No, Row," I say, resting my hands on her shoulders. "It's a riddle. He gave us clues on how to find this person. Someone that hates my brother and potions."
She frowns. "Are you going to ask Snape? Do you really think he'll let you have the map after you retrieve it?"
"I won't tell him about the map," I say. "But if we want to find it, we need Professor Snape's help."
"Don't you think a lot of students hate the subject he teaches?" she asks. "You're one of the only ones who actually has fun at his classes."
I smile. "Someone who hates potions with such passion is probably someone he'd remember."
"I don't know. Sounds like half the castle to me."
"I'll talk to him tomorrow… after we get rid of these pumpkin heads."
The dawn brings us a heavy rain, including a howling wind and scandalous thunders. Rowan disappears with Charlie somewhere in the humid, rain-smelling castle, whereas Tulip and Tonks find their way into the mud fight that is developing in the school grounds. Some students take the day to catch up on their homework, while some find vacant spots in the long tables in the Great Hall to play Wizard's Chess or read some tarot cards.
After a long morning of baking pies, all I want to do is lounge on the sofa in front of the fireplace and read Anne Rice's The Mummy, which I brought school and didn't have the chance to read yet.
Talbott, however, has other plans.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask him as he guides me corridor after corridor, taking me through the Divination corridor until we reach a distant part of the tower.
"You'll see," he says.
When we walk past the tapestry of a maritime landscape, bearing sparkling waters and a ship on the horizon, Talbott reaches out and runs his fingertips along the line of the horizon. The water seems to move, glistening under the sunshine. Talbott looks at me with a mischievous smile and pulls the tapestry aside. Right behind it, there's a staircase.
"C'mon," he says, holding my hand gently.
I follow him upstairs; it's a narrow passage and it smells like moss and rain. I climb I don't know how many steps, but when Talbott finally stops, I'm panting. There's a wooden door ahead of us and he opens it carefully. The sound of the rain fills my ears as he takes a step aside and allows me to see what's on the other side of the door.
My jaw drops. We're standing on, what seems to be, a tiny balcony. However, it has no guardrail. I let out a gasp and wrap my arms around Talbott's waist. Our feet are perhaps a meter distant of an insane free fall and the vision of the whole castle engulfed by the storm beneath us is enough to set my heart to a race.
Nevertheless, it's understandable why Talbott wanted to bring me here. The view is breath-taking. We can see the lightnings striking the forest, illuminating the sky in a blinding gleam. I feel Talbott's arms closing around me – protective and warm – and his nose slightly touching my temple.
"Did you like it?" he asks me in a low-toned voice.
I turn my face to look at him. His shiny rubies greet me with a scarlet intensity, making my cheeks burn and my heart almost stop.
"Like it?" I say with a snicker.
He laughs and it's the most beautiful sound in the world. His eyes linger on my lips, making me aware of the heat burning in my cheeks and the warmth of his body against mine. Once more, he comes closer, resting his forehead in mine.
"And the sunlight clasps the Earth… and the moonbeams kiss the sea…" he whispers under the rain. "What is all this sweet work worth if thou kiss not me?"
A thunder rumbles in the distance just as my heart melts and blends with the raindrops. Talbott is unbelievably marvellous and, without a warning of any sort, seems to have stolen the very rest of my heart that I still had to myself.
Just like that, I am all his.
I can't hear the rain in the dungeons. As soon as I climb down the stone steps, I am greeted by silence. There's no one there, especially considering that it's a Saturday afternoon and, well, people have better things to do than inquire their Potions Master about someone they don't know.
The classroom door is closed and I open it gently. Inside, there is no one. I pull the door carefully and step inside, looking for Professor Snape. As I make my way to the front of the classroom, his office door opens and he leaves the room, carrying a box of empty flasks. His obsidian eyes look at me with surprise as he puts the box over his desk.
"Is everything okay?" he asks me.
I get closer. "Professor, I need to talk to you about something."
He lifts his brows. "Have you found proof that Patricia Rakepick is a scheming malefactor who's willing to destroy us all for her personal gain?"
I smile, amused. "No, sir."
He mumbles, disappointed. "Have a seat, Miss Lockhart."
I sit in the chair across from his desk and cross my ankles, nervously. I'm not sure how I'm going to discuss the person that hates Jacob without talking about the Marauder's Map, but I'll have to do my best. I watch him sit on his chair and begins sorting some flasks.
"What is it, Miss Lockhart?"
I take a deep breath. "Professor, you were my brother's teacher too, correct? For… three… four years?"
He doesn't look at me. "Something like that."
"Do you recall him having any enemies?" I ask. "Or just… someone who passionately disliked him?"
"Hmm… No. Not really. Before the Cursed Vaults, he was adored by most teachers and even had a few close friends," he says, grabbing some dusty flasks and starting to clean them with a cloth.
I cross my arms. "And who were these close friends of him? Do you remember their names?"
He nods. "I guess one of them was… Olivia… something. She was expelled too. And there was this kid, Duncan Ashe. He was a Slytherin, but excessively reckless. He found a way to befriend Peeves and every day there was a new havoc wreaking through this castle."
I look away and sigh. "Perhaps I could write them. Ask them if there was someone who hated my brother."
"Perhaps," he says, getting up to get another box, this one empty, and proceeding to put all the flasks in this other box. "Or you could just ask Mr. Ashe."
I look at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"He died the year your brother was expelled," he says. "His ghost is still around… somewhere."
"Uh-huh," I say, scratching my chin. "Does he… haunts any specific place? Like Moaning Myrtle or something?"
"I have no idea," he says. "The others ghosts might know."
I push the chair away and get up. "Thank you, Professor. That's exactly what I'm going to do."
"Wait," he says, firmly, finally looking at me. "Why are you looking for Duncan Ashe?"
I shrug. "I wasn't. I just wanted to know more about my brother. That's all."
He squints.
"Thank you, sir!" I say, proceeding to leave the classroom before he has the chance to read my mind.
I hop back to the hallway, where Talbott is waiting for me with his lips still a bit red after our romantic snogs. I still can't overcome how handsome he looks in his white sweater, so the first thing I do is wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. I can feel him smiling beneath my lips.
"I'll be bold and assume you found what you were looking for," he says, his lips still touching mine.
I smile. "All that's left to do is interrogate some ghosts."
He distances his head to look at me with curiosity. "Ghosts?"
"Apparently my brother had a friend who died," I tell him. "Duncan Ashe."
"What house was he in?" he asks.
"Slytherin."
"You could ask the Bloody Baron," he suggests.
"Yeah, right," I say. "Like I'd ever get near that… that… bloody ghost. He gives me the creeps."
"He gives everyone the creeps," he adds. "Maybe Barnaby or Liz could talk to him for you."
I bite my lip. "Yeah, maybe. That's a good idea, actually."
He smirks. "Maybe you should reward me with a kiss, then."
I smile, devilish. "I'm not sure if you deserve it."
"I'll have to steal one, then," he says, placing his warm hand on my neck and gluing his lips to mine.
I barely see Barnaby during the meals on the weekend and, according to Rubeus, Liz spent it drinking tea and talking to Professor Kettleburn. I decide to wait until Monday, in our Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, to talk to them. So, I cease the weekend to kiss Talbott as much as I can, while trying to study in between. Rowan and Charlie seem to do the same, because we can spot them walking through the castle while exchanging mischievous stares and giggling.
On Monday, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to face another week. According to the schedule, Rakepick is supposed to teach us about a spell called Deprimo. According to the book, it blasts holes on walls and floors and can even tear apart stone. I look around, wondering if she'll make us crack the classroom like an egg, but a knock on the window makes us realize that she has other plans.
She's on her broom, on the outside of the tower, bearing a smirk on her red lips. "Our lesson will be on the Training Grounds today. Hurry up!"
I look at Rowan, whose excitement from the weekend seems to have vanished.
"I miss Professor Avalon," she tells me.
We make out way to the Training Grounds, which makes us waste around ten minutes of class. Not that we're complaining. Ten minutes away from Rakepick is like an eternity in paradise. Rakepick doesn't know, but she gave me the perfect opportunity to talk to Barnaby and Liz without her annoying presence.
"Guys," I start. "I need to find a ghost that might have information about my brother and the Vaults."
They look at me, surprised.
"A ghost?" Liz says. "How interesting!"
"Yeah, it's a boy called Duncan Ashe," I tell them. "Do you know him?"
Liz looks at Barnaby with a frown. "No, I don't think so."
"Talbott said that the Bloody Baron might know where I can find him," I say and they immediately freeze in place.
"The… the Bloody Baron?" Liz stutters.
"What's the matter?" Rowan asks.
"Have you met him?" Barnaby says. "He's like… a horror story of his own."
"Even Ismelda is afraid of him," Liz adds.
"Yeah. The only one who has the guts to talk to him is Merula," Barnaby says, to my complete dismay. "What?"
I sigh. "Damn. I can't believe I'll need Merula for this."
He shrugs. "Well, you're supposed to be on the same team, right? Didn't Rakepick convoked the two of you to help her find the Vaults?"
I look at him, pensive. "You know what? You're bloody right. You're a genius, Barnaby!"
"Well, I try…"
"All right, let's go to class before Rakepick casts Deprimo at our heads," Rowan says, pulling me by my hand.
"I'd love to see her try," Liz says, giggling mischievously right after.
We are one of the last students to arrive to the Training Grounds. When we get there, we are greeted by a strange construction: looks like a small version of a European castle, but without all the details. It has many towers and a bridge and thick walls, as well as what seems to be a moat. I look at Rakepick, who's admiring her finished work.
"Very well, kids," she says. "Today you'll learn about Deprimo, which is a very useful spell. Even stronger than Bombarda Maxima and can even be used to cause tremendous damage in an opponent."
I roll my eyes when her lips curl in an evil smile. Next to me me, Liz groans and Rowan crosses her arms. Only Barnaby seems to be a little excited to show his strength through magic.
"The correct movement to cast this spell involves a lot of arm muscle. You must tension you whole arm and maintain your wrist very stiff. After that, you must keep everything hard as a rock while enunciating the incantation in a very clear voice," she explains. "Like this."
It seems so natural to her that it almost makes me frightened. She reaches her art towards the replica of the castle, leaving her whole arm rigid, and shouts the spell. A bolt of bright green light emanates from her wand, hitting one of the towers with surprising force. There's a strong explosion sound as the stones are propelled everywhere.
I lift my wand and visualize a dome of protection as I cast Protego. The stones hit my shield and fall heavily onto the floor while my classmates yell, protecting their faces. However, they aren't hit by them.
"Impressive, Miss Lockhart," Rakepick says. "Your creative forms to use spells are becoming stronger by the day. Very well. Now, who wants to be the first to use Deprimo?"
Barnaby raises his hand.
"Very well, Mr. Lee," she says. "The castle is all yours."
I watch Barnaby straighten his back as he walks firmly towards the little castle. Everyone takes a few steps back and I stand in the middle of my classmates, ready to cast the dome. Rowan looks at me with apprehension and I know exactly what she's thinking. That Barnaby's spell will most likely be even stronger than Rakepick's.
Barnaby lifts his wand and aims it at the stone building. His broad back is as tense as his arm and he doesn't seem to be even breathing. I bite my lip with the anticipation and he finally casts the spell.
"DEPRIMO!"
I barely have time to cast the dome. I close my eyes when three towers explode in a thousand pieces and the fragments of stone fly everywhere. Someone screams and I open my eyes to see Barnaby looking at us with fear in his eyes. His spell produced the strongest of effects and even Rakepick seems to be a little shaken.
Knelt in front of the crowd, Merula has her hands on her cheek, as a line of blood drips along her forearm.
"Merlin's beard, Merula!" Barnaby says. "I'm so sorry!"
"Don't apologize, Mr. Lee," Rakepick says. "She should've known better than to stand in the front line. Frankly, Miss Snyde, I thought you were agile enough to cast a shield. Now off to the hospital, Miss."
I look at Rowan, who nods at me, bearing a hint of preoccupation. I rush to Merula and help her stand up.
"I don't need your help, Lockhart," she complains, but I maintain my arm around her.
"Shut up, Merula," I say. "Let's go."
"Where are you going, Miss Lockhart?" Rakepick asks as I walk with Merula back to the castle. "Don't you want to demonstrate your use of Deprimo?"
"No!" I shout back, continuing my way.
Next to me, Merula moans as her cheek continues to bleed. There are drops of blood forming a trail on the stone floor and her legs seem to be weakening.
"Here," I say, withdrawing a handkerchief from my pocket. "Apply pressure."
She looks at me with wide eyes. For the first time since I've known her, she seems truly vulnerable.
"Why didn't she heal me?" she cries. "I thought she was my… my mentor."
"Yeah, right," I say. "Merula, you're intelligent enough to know that one cannot trust Rakepick."
"B-but she's powerful," she stutters. "S-she p-promised me…"
I stand in front of her, watching the handkerchief get redder by the second. Her eyes, pools of amethysts, look at me with profound sadness. Five years ago, when she got stuck in the cursed ice while trying to sabotage Rowan, Penny and I, I didn't feel sorry for her. This time, watching her look at me, so fragile and defenceless, makes something awaken inside of me. It's a strange feeling that I cannot bury.
"Let me see," I say, placing my hand on top of hers, which is pressing the cloth on the wound.
A tear falls down her cheek and she lets out a moan of pain as she pulls the handkerchief away. I swallow hard when I see the deep wound that crosses her cheek all the way towards her ear. It's deep enough for me to see the layers of tissue and the blood immediately starts to flood her face and fall down her neck, staining her shirt in a pool of dark red.
"I don't think I'll be able to heal you without leaving a scar," I say. "C'mon. Let's rush to the hospital."
She sniffs as she presses the white cloth back on her cheek and allows me to accompany her with my arm around her shoulders. I look at her discretely, noticing that her mascara and eyeliner are forming long, grey lines on her face, following the direction of her tears. It's a heart-breaking view and it makes me rub my hand gently on her shoulder as we walk to the hospital.
Luckily, we are not too far from Madam Pomfrey's care. We turn a few corridors until we find ourselves walking by the beautiful stained glass windows that lead to the hospital entrance. In there, Madam Pomfrey is checking a boy's temperature, but when she sees us and spots Merula's gory face and bloodstained shirt, she lets out a gasp and rushes in our direction.
"What happened?" she asks, worried.
"Problems in class," I say, simply. "You're more skilled to heal her than Rakepick. Can you heal her without leaving a scar?"
"Oh, of course," she says. "But you'll need a potion for the pain, Miss Snyde. Miss Lockhart, could you fetch the belladonna extract and the poppy syrup?"
"Yes, Madam," I say, rushing to the medicine cabinet. From afar, I can hear Merula sniffing.
I grab a basket and place the extract and the syrup flasks on it, along with some linen cloths. When I get back to the bed where Merula is sitting on, I hand the basket to Madam Pomfrey.
"Don't you have somewhere else to go?" Merula asks me with her jaw clenched.
I check my watch. "Not for thirty minutes or so," I say. "Do you want me to leave?"
She looks at me with trembling lips and reaches out to hold my hand. Her hand is smaller than mine; it's also cold and shaking. I hold it tightly while Madam Pomfrey asks her to lift her face and remain still. Merula's grip tightens as the nurse cleans the wound with water and applies a few drops of poppy syrup. Short little after, Merula stops shaking. She swallows hard as her eyes search for me. I try my best to bear an expression that makes her feel better, but the deep wound across her cheek makes my guts twist a little.
"Percuro Major," Madam Pomfrey chants, and a pale light emanates from her wand, making the wound close slowly.
At first, a thin line can be seen where the wound closed, but little by little, the line fades, leaving only a faint red stain on Merula's face. Madam Pomfrey drips a bit of the belladonna extract on a piece of cloth and uses it to calm the recently wounded flesh.
"There you go, Miss Snyde," she says. "Not a hint of a scar."
Merula sighs. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
"I'll need you to stay here for just a few more minutes," she says. "I'll fetch you some tea for the nerves."
Merula nods and Madam Pomfrey disappears in an adjacent room. Apart from the boy laying down a few beds away from us, the hospital is empty. I use the cleaning spell a few times to clean Merula's shirt and she continues to look at me with a frail expression.
"Are you okay?" I ask and she nods.
She continues to look at me for a few more seconds and I watch a single tear, crystalline and full of pain, roll down her face. I reach out and dry it with my thumb and Merula lets out a single bitter sob.
"Thank you…," she says, sniffing. "Athena."
* Maps, by Maroon 5.
