Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 8
Xinia walks over to my desk and shows me the notes and information she had collected.
"I think this is everything we need. What should the spell be called?" Xinia asks. "Like the incantation and hand movement?"
"How bout Amokinum?" Anica suggests. "Seeing as that's what mum calls us, and it kinda fits us."
"Ugh, do we have to?" Xinia complains. "I thought we'd agreed that it wasn't going to become a thing."
"Actually, that was you," I point out. "I kinda like it," I say to Anica.
She grins, and then we both turn to Xinia.
"Overruled," she announces. "Two beats one. That's our official name."
Xinia scrunches her nose but thankfully doesn't fight us on it.
"For the hand movement, what about something like this?" Xinia says, drawing an 'A' on the paper.
Anica and I nod.
"Can I please have your jewellery?" Xinia reaches her hand out to us.
"Being very formal," I laugh, undoing my necklace and placing it into her hand.
"Now, the way that this will work is that when someone is trying to contact you, your heart will glow and pulsate three times. The message will be like hearing someone talk inside your head, so it'll be hard to get used to," Xinia explains. "When sending a message, you say the incantation either aloud or in your head, and move your wand like an 'A'. Hopefully, we will eventually not need our wands to do it, but."
"That sounds really cool," Anica smiles. "Now hurry up and make it work."
I laugh slightly, trying to hold my eagerness back. If we could make it work, it sounded really cool. It'd be like being able to talk through our minds. The possibilities were endless.
Xinia begins waving her wand and muttering different words. Her eyes continuously flick between our notes and the jewellery. As she does, I grow bored and decide to wander over to the cupboard Xinia had gotten all the books from. Anica follows me, whispering so we don't disturb Xinia.
"She said it could give you any book, right?" I ask her. "Like, any book?"
Anica nods, sending me a questioning look.
"What are you thinking?"
Instead of answering her, I turn to the cupboard.
"Can I get a book on all the current secret passageways of Hogwarts?" I ask as nicely as possible, feeling a little stupid.
I hold my hands up in anticipation, but nothing comes out. I frown and ask again. Nothing happens. Then Anica asks, and still, nothing happens.
"Uh, Xinia?" Anica calls. "I think your magic cupboard is broken."
Xinia abruptly stops casting spells and runs up to us.
"What?" she yells. "What the hell did you two do? Why are you even near it?"
"We didn't do anything!" I shout back. "It just won't give me a book."
"What did you ask for?" Xinia crinkles her eyebrows. "It probably doesn't exist."
"I just wanted something for the secret passageways of Hogwarts. I'm pretty sure something like that would exist."
She frowns and then turns to the cupboard.
"Could I get what Gena was asking for, please?"
And suddenly, just like before, a book comes out into Xinia's awaiting hands. I inspect the title.
A Modern Guide to the Secret Passageways of Hogwarts
"You sure it's broken?" Xinia smirks.
"That didn't happen before," Anica inputs. "Both of us asked for it, but nothing happened."
"Were you nice?"
"What does being nice have anything to do with it? It's a cupboard!"
"Besides," I scoff. "We said please."
Xinia shrugs.
"Maybe it can sense that anything you want to read can't be good," she declares before reaching up and pushing the book back into the cupboard, where it abruptly disappears.
"Because everything else we've asked for is so rule-abiding," I mutter sarcastically under my breath.
Xinia catches it and hits my shoulder.
I hit her back before she moves over to the cupboard again.
"If I ask a question, will you answer?" Xinia asks the mystical curtain.
"Great, now she's talking to the curtain," Anica comments and I snicker.
Suddenly, as if it heard Xinia, the curtain rustles before a soft whisper carries through the room.
"Some answers that you seek may be given; however, some shall remain unknown."
Both Anica and I jump violently, and Xinia's face lights up.
"HOLY SHIT!" I yell. "Did - you - hear - THAT?"
"If knowledge is what you truly seek, then knowledge is what you shall receive," the whispering voice continues. "Ask, and I shall answer."
"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" Anica demands.
"Shut up," Xinia shushes her before turning to the curtain again.
"What should we ask it?" Anica asks eagerly.
"Why did you not give Gena the book she asked for?" Xinia ignores her in favour of the curtain.
"The answer you seek, I believe you know, for you are true and wish for knowledge. Your desire for learning is evident, for only those worthy of my beliefs have access to what I hold, " the voice responds.
"So it's saying that I'm stupid?" I ask, unimpressed.
Xinia shakes her head, clearly disappointed at my remark.
"Well, now it thinks you are," she laughs. "It means you don't have the same desire for knowledge. You'd rather just be given the answers than discover them."
I raise my eyebrows in annoyance.
"Go back to working on that spell."
Xinia pokes her tongue at me but walks back over to the desk with the notes and returns to muttering indistinguishable words. After a few minutes, she calls out to Anica and me, and we go over to join her.
"Okay, I think I have it. I just need to link us up together," she tells us. "Put your jewellery back on and hold hands."
My face drops.
"Is that really necessary?" I frown.
"Do you want this to be a thing?"
I scrunch my nose but follow her instructions.
"Okay, close your eyes. I need you both to think about Amokinum and us and the jewellery," she instructs. "When I say so, let go and tap your jewellery three times and say Amokinum out loud. Don't worry about your wands or the hand movement."
I close my eyes and focus on my two best friends, all the fun we have and the connection we have formed over the years. I think about us as a group and what we can become with our unique abilities.
"Now!"
I let go of their hands and tap my necklace three times.
"Amokinum," the three of us say pretty much in unison.
I feel something like a wave go through me, then the heart on my neck heats up a bit and begins to glow. I feel it pulse against my neck and then hear something in my head.
Did it work?
I recognise the voice as Xinia's and turn to her with a startled look.
"Did you send that message?" I ask.
"So you got it?" she asks in excitement, looking at Anica for confirmation.
We nod, and she lets out a whoop and pumps her fist in the air.
"We got ourselves our own spell!" she announces happily, doing a weird dance around the room.
It takes a moment to sink in, but I grin when I realise what she means.
"Let's test it out," Anica suggests. "Xinia, you go to your common room, Gena go to the Great Hall, and I'll stay here."
"I'm not letting you stay in here by yourself!" Xinia cries. "You go to your common room, and I'll stay here."
Anica rolls her eyes.
"Cause I'm so untrustworthy?!"
"Before we go, is there anything else we need to know about the spell?" I ask diplomatically. "Anything else we can do, things to avoid…?"
"At the moment, no," Xinia replies. "But I'm hoping to develop it more. For now, this is what we've got."
"Wait, how do we work it again?" Anica asks stupidly.
We roll our eyes, and Xinia sighs in exasperation.
"Say the incantation, Amokinum, and wave your wand in this motion," she then draws an 'A' in the air with her hand. "Then say the message either aloud or in your head. I recommend in your head, so people don't know what you're doing."
"Got it?" I ask, refraining from rolling my eyes again.
Anica slowly nods in understanding.
"Okay, good," Xinia claps her hands together. "Let's do this."
She packs away the things we'd spread out across the room as Anica and I leave. We take a few shortcuts to get to the ground floor, and as I turn off for the ground floor, Anica gives me a knowing grin, and I flash her a thumbs up before walking into the Hall.
It's nearing the end of dinner time, so almost no one is here, meaning I don't have to worry about getting any strange looks.
I give Anica a few minutes to get to our dorm before attempting the spell. Still conscious of the few people in the Hall, I try to be discreet as I take out my wand. I hold it under the table and fumble around a bit, almost dropping my wand in the process, before moving it in the pattern of an A.
"Amokinum," I mutter under my breath.
I feel my necklace flutter, and I grin.
Can y'alls hear me or what? I think in my head, chuckling quietly at myself.
A moment later, I hear Xinia's voice in my head.
Yeah, once we each do the spell, we should be able to have a normal conversation.
This was crazy. I wasn't sure if I was making it up or if it was actually happening.
Say something that I don't know so that I know this isn't just me talking to myself in my head, I say in amazement.
I'm in love with Nick, Anica's voice joins us, and I can't help but laugh.
WHAT THE FUCK! Xinia screams, and I hold my head in pain.
Ow! I complain. Don't do that, Xinia. It's even more painful than you standing next to me.
You're joking, aren't you? Xinia questions Anica, ignoring me.
A long pause follows, and I suddenly get the feeling that what I assumed was a joke, wasn't.
Oh, sorry, this stupid spell keeps messing up on me, Anica suddenly answers. I don't like him. I know that you are Xinia, so I would never take that away from you.
Oh, wow, very funny, Anica. You know I'm interested in George.
I try not to smile as I listen to them banter about their feelings for the boys in the group.
Besides, I know it's not Nick you're into. It's Dylan, Xinia laughs.
Sure, sure. I have feelings for a Gryffindor. That's likely, Anica jokes sarcastically.
It's not unlikely, I point out.
Hey, you're supposed to be on my side! Anica complains.
"Gena? What are you still doing here?"
I jump and whip around in my seat, craning my neck to look up at Professor Potter.
Jesus Christ, where the fuck did he come from?
I had been so enraptured in the spell that I hadn't realised someone had come up behind me.
Potter hadn't been in the Hall when I entered, so he must have come in at some point when I wasn't paying attention.
Who? I hear both girls ask in my mind.
Shit! Xinia, how do we disconnect? I ask, accidentally ignoring Potter.
He gives me an unimpressed look, and I quickly answer him.
"Uh, sorry, sir, I didn't realise the time," I say as I get up, trying to ignore the girls' questions in my head.
Is she talking to us? Anica asks, and I realise they can hear what I say aloud.
No, shut up, I answer. I'm talking to Professor Potter.
"Right, well, you better get going," Potter says, and I feel my brain starting to hurt as I try to juggle both conversations.
I nod and bid goodnight to him before leaving the Hall. Anica and Xinia are still asking questions in my head, and I feel a headache forming.
Xiiiiin, I complain. How do we turn this off?
Sorry. Just tap your necklace three times.
Why is everything three times? Anica comments as I reach up. Is it like your favourite number or something?
For the three of us and the three pieces of jewellery, idiot.
I roll my eyes before doing as she said, sighing with relief when their voices fade from my mind.
The spell was great and all, but I'd have to get used to it. It was way different than talking face to face with someone. Having both of them in my head was like they were yelling. It wasn't excruciating, but after enough time, it became annoying.
I head towards the Common room where Anica meets me.
"That was pretty awesome," she smiles.
"Yeah, not too bad if we need help on our exams," I smirk.
Her eyes widen, and it's evident that she hadn't thought of that.
"You're a genius!"
I grin and flip my hair over my shoulder dramatically.
"I know."
"Girls!" we suddenly hear.
We turn to see the Prefects sending us stern looks.
"You have two minutes until lights out."
Anica and I turn to each other.
"How? It's only-" I cut myself off as I look at my watch. "Woah, where did the time go?"
"I don't want any misbehaviour from you two tonight," Riley says sternly. "I have five papers and about ten things to study tonight. I will not put up with you."
"Sucker," I snort, and he glares at me. "Sorry," I mutter.
"Don't worry, we'll stay out of your hair," Anica reassures them before hopping up and dragging me off to the dormitories.
"Nightie night!" I call out behind me, laughing a little.
"What?" Anica snorts. "Nightie night?"
I shrug, grinning. She gives me a 'what the hell' look but doesn't comment. I laugh again as we reach our dormitory. We quickly have our showers before calling it a night and head to bed.
Over the next few weeks, the three of us lay out the foundations of our new room after distracting McGonagall while we made space for it in the castle. We also make a few improvements to our 'Amokinum Spell' (as we call it) so that we can locate each other by saying the name of the intended 'Amokinum'. We also decided that we could just say the incantation if we're ever in trouble and need help. An alert will go out to the other two as a sort of 'Emergency help' thing.
In between everything, Ciena had gotten closer to us because Kimmy was no longer around. We were happy to have her there, so we let her in on a few of our secrets and 'opened her eyes' to Hogwarts.
Surprisingly, Fred also became a lot closer to our group. He had first approached us one night in the Community Hall when his friends, Marcus and Reagan (two other Ravenclaw boys), were absent. He had sat with us and joined in on our conversation. Since then, he'd gotten progressively closer, and it was unusual not to hang out with him at least once during the day.
Quidditch practices picked up a bit as the Gryffindor/Slytherin match got closer. Tensions weren't high yet, but I predicted it would get worse within the next few weeks.
Of course, we got plenty of homework (and detentions) to keep us busy. Anica and I finally finished our punishment from last year, and Slytherin was slowly but surely getting back into the running points-wise.
All in all, things were going well.
It was currently a Friday afternoon, and while Ciena was already starting on her homework for the weekend, the three of us decided to pay a visit to our secret room.
Located on the sixth floor, it was in a part of the castle that was mostly unoccupied but not enough to raise attention if we were always there. We had managed to create a 'dent' in the walls of Hogwarts to house the room. Xinia had done quite a bit of research for that to happen, and all of us had found spells that could hide it from other students and professors. We had also placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on it (how Xinia managed it, I have no idea) so that we had more space than we had cleared (for convenience).
Anica had come up with a brilliant idea to link our jewellery up to the room as well so that even if someone found the entrance, they wouldn't be able to get into it. To enter the room, we had to tap our heart jewellery twice, say Amokinum, and then trace the A to the spell on a specific brick on the wall. Then it opened up, in a similar way to the entrance to Diagon Alley behind the Leaky Cauldron.
So far, we hadn't furnished it, but according to Xinia, tomorrow we could make a start. Looking at it now, it did look that way. The room was completely hollowed out, and the walls stood about five metres tall. The roof was still shimmering slightly as it worked against Hogwarts magic, but it was pretty much done, otherwise.
As we stood inside the room, surveying our work, I suddenly got an idea.
"Do you reckon we could create two passages from this room?" I suggest. "One to your dormitory, Xinia, and one to ours?"
A while ago, the idea would have been unfathomable. But now, we had accomplished this in a matter of weeks. It didn't sound impossible.
Xinia considers the idea.
"Creating a passage would certainly be easier than making a room," she starts. "I don't think it would take anywhere near as long. It would mostly just take time because it would have to go through the whole castle for you guys. It would also be a little awkward for me because mine's in a tower. But I think we could make it work."
"Yeah, we would, like, make the passage between our beds," Anica says, looking at me. "That way, we can close our hangings to get to it, so the other girls don't find it. We would also have to make it hidden normally, so they don't see it."
I nod.
"If we really wanted, we could link it up again to our jewellery just to make sure."
"Yeah," Xinia agrees. "Now we've done it twice already. I don't think it would be too hard to do it again. We just have to keep in mind, though, that if we link it up to too many things, it could start to fault or stop being undetectable."
Both of us nod.
"I don't think we'll need to do it for anything else," Anica points out. "I mean, we've got the jewellery and now the room. That's all we really need. Linking up the passageways is just a bonus.
Xinia agrees, and we make our plan, spending the next two weeks making our trail up to our dorms.
We furnish the room with three desks, a bookshelf that lines a whole wall (per Xinia's request, of course) and even a small kitchen. Anica and I had managed to create our own secret storage space in the ground somewhere in the middle of the floor without Xinia finding out. I manage to hide it by Transfiguring the section of the floor into a trapdoor that allows us to access it. When we don't need to get to it, I can transfigure the floor back to stone, so there's no way to get into it. I knew Xinia wouldn't be able to replicate the spell because it took advanced magic to only transfigure the one section rather than the whole floor. She also wouldn't know where to do it, even if she knew how.
In the space, we stored a bunch of our prank items and jokes, the original Marauders Map (so it wouldn't get damaged just lying around in one of our trunks) and a few other things we didn't want to risk being found and confiscated.
Finally, the passages and the room are done, and we couldn't be happier. It felt great to know that no one in the entire castle knew of our 'adjustments'. It was even better when we saw McGonagall in the halls or during meals, and we shared secret smiles and silent messages that only we understood.
Everything was perfect. We were doing good in school, only getting a few detentions every few weeks, quidditch practices were going well, our friend group was expanding and having way fewer problems, and we had our own secret.
Of course, it could only last so long.
Our Quidditch match against Gryffindor was steadily approaching, but the weather began to intensify. Violent storms ripped across the skies, and it became too dangerous to practice or play. However, being a complete idiot, Wyrene decided it would be a good idea to try and battle the odds.
Naturally, it didn't end well.
Less than twenty minutes later, she came back dripping wet and covered from head to toe in mud and scratches. In her hands were the remainders of her broom. The six of us on the team stand up in alarm.
"Fucking hell Wyrene! You absolute idiot!" I yell when I see her. "Mum and Dad are going to kill you! Do you know how much that broom costs?"
She glares at me but thankfully realises the stupidity of her actions.
"Wyrene, why the hell would you do this?" Tatum cries, coming up to her. "The match is this weekend!"
"I needed to practice! I can't do that inside, can I?"
"All of us need to practice!" Michael joins in. "But none of us are stupid enough to."
"Piss off!" she growls. "I need to send mum a letter to ask her for a new broom."
"There's no way she'll buy you one when she finds out why it's ruined," I scoff.
"Well, no one's gonna tell her!" she glares at me.
"Bullshit. If I don't, one of the boys certainly will."
"Girls, cut it out," Tatum suddenly interrupts. "What's done is done. Wyrene, go write the letter and tell her exactly what happened. I doubt you'll even be able to get one in time anyway. You're either going to have to convince someone to lend you their broom or use a school one."
Wyrene turns her nose up before storming off. However, just as she does, the door to the Common Room opens, and Professor Malfoy steps inside. When he sees us, he smiles a bit before approaching.
"Ah, good to see you're all here," he scans the six of us before frowning. "Where's Wyrene?"
Although we're all confused as to why he's here, Tatum informs him of what happened. He frowns but doesn't look overly worried.
"Well, I have good news," he reports. "The match has been postponed until next weekend due to the weather conditions. We'll have another week to prepare. Hopefully, by then, Miss Dinnick will have a proper replacement broom."
Everyone cheers except for me. I calculate the days and realise that the match would be on the day my senses would go haywire. It would not be a good day for me.
"Is there any possible way you could get us another week?" I ask Malfoy.
He shakes his head.
"I've already done all I can to get it to next week, Miss Dinnick," he says sternly. "If I were you, I wouldn't take this for granted."
I slump. What am I supposed to say? Sorry, my stupid senses are going to decide to go crazy that day? Dejectedly, I sigh and nod.
"Thank you, Sir," I mutter.
Beside me, Anica nudges me with a confused look.
"What was that about?" she asks quietly.
I sigh, figuring there's no harm in telling her. She already knew about my enhanced senses. Who knows, maybe she could help me in some way if she knew?
Malfoy dismisses us, so I take her arm and lead her aside to talk in private. She asks questions the entire time, but I don't answer until I'm sure no one can hear us.
"So you know how I have really good hearing and everything?" I start, and she nods in confusion. "Well, some days it's really good, and others it's just kind of average."
"How does that work?"
"I have no idea," I say. "But I think this has something to do with it."
I hold my wrist out to show her the moon-like mark on it. I was sure she'd seen it before, but she'd never asked questions.
Today it was only a little brighter than usual. I knew within the week, it would reach its brightest stage.
"Why do you think that?" Anica asks. "Isn't it just a regular birthmark?"
I shook my head before explaining how it got brighter and dimmer, and consequently, my senses seemed to be affected in the same way.
"Next week, on the day of the Quidditch match, to be exact, my senses will be at their best. I normally get headaches and feel like shit around that time because it's overwhelming. I've played before on these days, but I'm normally pretty out of it. That, combined with our lack of practice, is going to make me play like shit."
She bites her lip and gives me a sympathetic look.
"What if you ask Malfoy privately? He might understand."
"That's likely," I mutter. "What would I even say? 'Hey sir, I know it's really inconveniencing, but I've got this weird thing that'll make me play like crap on the day of the match, so could you move it to a day that's more suiting? Thanks'."
Anica rolls her eyes at my sarcasm. I sigh.
"It'll be fine," I reassure her. "I just didn't want it to be then."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
Not really.
"Yeah."
She gives me a sceptical look but thankfully doesn't question me any further.
"Okay, well, you'll just have to take it easy then," she says.
I give her an incredulous look.
"No way! I am not letting Gryffindor win!"
She rolls her eyes at my stubbornness.
"You can't let House rivalry get in the way of your safety, Gena!" she argues.
I meet her gaze, and we stare each other down for a few moments until I finally break eye contact.
"I'll be careful," I say, not entirely sure how honest I'm being.
I didn't want to hurt myself, but I wouldn't let it get in the way of the first Quidditch game of the year, especially against Gryffindor.
Next update in a week :)