Albus was shocked.
He really shouldn't have read this, he now felt guilty.
He had meddled in a highly personal letter.
He quickly closed it and was thinking of a way to return it to Oscar without the boy becoming utterly furious, without him discovering he had read his letter.
He would have to try and return it in some way, wishing Oscar would never discover.
It was the only way.
If he let the letter somewhere, without being careful, someone could pick it up and read it, and then it could soon become gossip, which would be much worse.
He actually felt sorry for Oscar. O'Neill appeared to be so heartless. So uncaring. Mean.
Maybe he could give the letter to Eli and then he could put it back at his dorm, near Oscar bed or something. When would he notice that the letter was missing?
And the things that were written in the letter…ONeill seemed ... not like the O'Neill he had met briefly before when the man tried to use Legilimency on him, the auror had seemed kind and gentle when they first met.
He had asked Oscar to keep an eye on him and the Thing.
Has O'Neill asked Oscar to be some kind of spy for him?
He was a bit too late for his class now. Should he wait until the next one? He was afraid he'd get a detention, or at least be reprehended for being this late. He left the bathroom, still not knowing what—
"Hey, young man, what are you doing out of class?" It was Mister Orous Raven, the school's janitor. He had a gentle tone in his voice, curious and held... a guinea pig? So cute!
"Eh? Sorry, I was just going to class, but... Mister Raven why do you have a guinea pig with you?" The piggy was so tiny but also so chubby, he squealed, agitated, making lovely noises. Albus couldn't help but smile with such cute noises, the tiny piggy seemed to be trying to eat Mr. Raven's robes. So fuzzy! Albus wanted to pat the chubby animal.
"It's my pet guinea pig," told him, raising the guinea pig "Some people have cats, some people have frogs, but I'm not like them, I'm different, guinea pigs are simply better," he said with a wink and a smile.
Albus had never spoken to the man before, but he seemed nice, even if he appeared to be a little tired.
"But is it magical?" He asked, curious.
"What is magic boy? He's magical for me," said he, stroking the piggy, and poking it gently "It was my daughter's," Was? Suddenly, the man seemed sad.
"I'm sorry," said he awkwardly, he did not know the man's daughter and did not even know much about Mr. Raven, yet he wanted to be polite and not seem insensitive.
"Don't be. Death is the final journey," he said mysteriously. Is death a journey? Wasn't it the end?
"A journey?" He asked before he could control his curiosity.
"The End doesn't exist, everything is a cycle," he said in a mystical tone. "Now go to your class boy or I'll have to call a teacher."
"R-Right. Sorry, Mister Raven." Orous Raven laughed a bit. He was an old man, already with white hair and a gray beard, but he seemed... jovial at the same time. When he smiled, his many wrinkles seemed to disappear
"You seem like a good kid," he stated, vaguely.
"Just one thing," Albus said "Please, let me pet your guinea pig?" He asked, hearing Mister Raven's laugh.
"Guinea pigs are simply superior," he said, jokingly. Albus spent some time stroking the cute, chubby, and fuzzy piggy. Then he thanked Mister Raven, said a brief and polite goodbye, and went to his potions class.
That's why he loved animals! They always made him feel better. Momentarily he felt he could forget the bad things of that day and think only of the cute guinea pig, so pure and innocent. What if Albus asked his parents if he could have a guinea pig?
Animals and plants. More of those two things, and less... less bad things.
But…
He knew that sooner or later he would have to think about the bad things that happened because if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to solve anything.
Albus entered the potions class, nervous
The door was open so he had decided to wait for the teacher to see him, he thought that Mr. Leo Noctis would be angry or not let him in, but the man just made a little sign with his hand.
Upon entering, unfortunately, all eyes turned to him.
He sought out his friends and quickly went to sit next to them.
Oscar wasn't in the room (how could he skip so many classes without getting caught? Where did he go when he wasn't in class? Was he some kind of "master" at skipping school?).
Eli was sitting with his friends this time.
"Hey, you gave us all a huge scare," commented Yato.
"I'm sorry I worried you guys," he apologized, a bit shyly.
"Are you better?" Asked Edmond, immediately passing him a giant pile of papers.
"Uh, what is that?" He asked confused, and who answered was Eli.
"He wrote it all down for you, almost broke his hand, but succeeded." Edmond blushed a bit.
"I-It was nothing. I do like writing things anyway," he said, a bit shyly "It's not like it's any trouble for me." Edmond was saying that, but Albus could see that his hand was red and his fingers were swollen and blistered.
"But the teacher is not saying anything, he just asked us to make a potion that used the ingredients on the board," Lukas said, looking at Edmond confused.
"I've been researching a bit about potions," Edmond revealed.
"It's our second day!" Yato looked admired.
"I can't waste time, if I fail my dream will be ruined!" Edmond said emphatically.
"You dream?" Eli now was curious.
"Being a lawyer?" Tried Albus.
"Yes!" Said Edmond happily, in a dreamy tone. As if he could already imagine his dream coming true in your head.
"Why do you want to be that? It sounds boring," Eli commented, confused.0
"It's not boring. I'm going to help lots of people, it has always been my dream."
"Boring..., " murmured Yato, not convinced.
"I think it's fantastic, Edmond," said Lukas, distractedly, taking care when selecting some potion materials.
"I'm afraid it's going to explode, folks," he revealed.
"Just do this," Eli then took a piece of a leech and put it in the potion, then put some spider legs and Demiguise hair, the potion that had a horrible gray color suddenly became purple, a beautiful rosy-purple, the smell changed completely, now it smelled like citrus.
"Oh! You're good at it!" Exclaimed Edmund, looking happy and very relieved "Please, if you want, you can sit with us more often," invited the boy, in a half-supplicant tone "Why can't I be good at potions," lamented Edmond.
Albus didn't think the boy was bad at potions at all. Everyone was at the same level there, Oscar and Eli were the ones who—
"Oscar and I had some classes," Eli revealed laughing.
"I wanted to know things before I started classes, I would have better grades if that happened," lamented Edmond, again worrying about his studies.
"Well..., I've learned only a few things. I wasn't exactly the best student. Oscar is probably a million times better than me." Now Albus was curious. A million times better?! No way… Was he so good?
"Oscar is good at duels too, right?" He asked, suddenly. He saw Sallinger looking. Why was he meddling?
"Yes. He's wonderful at dueling. But it's because, honestly, he's a little… he worries too much," he stated.
"How? How can someone be better than this? This is wonderful!" Edmond seemed confused now, still looking admired at the potion, smelling its delicious smell.
"What did you do with the potion?" Asked Lukas. Eli slowly began to explain the addition of ingredients and started to give him some useful tips. Edmond enthusiastically wrote on his scroll, moving his old feather frantically through the paper.
Yato did not pay much attention to them, he seemed to be analyzing Albus with a certain curiosity but did not say anything specific.
"Hum… do you know where Oscar is?" Whispered Albus to Eli, trying to avoid being heard.
"No idea. We had a fight," he explained briefly.
"He was crying," Albus revealed, discreetly.
"Yes, he plays tough, but he's very sensitive."
"Why did you two fight?" Albus couldn't help but be curious.
"I try to help, I really try, but he can't be so rude all the time," said the boy with a sigh, tired.
Brief seconds passed.
Yato was now about to fall asleep at the table, Edmond tried to keep his friend awake, warning him that he might lose Ravenclaw points. Lukas was cutting more leeches, measuring the parts with great attention.
"Was he crying a lot?" asked Eli, suddenly, looking a bit guilty, with concern in his voice.
"What's going on, Eli?" He asked. Norman O'Neill's letter, Oscar crying, Eli's concern.
"He's going through hard times. Since his mother's, Clarisse, death, he had to come to live here in the UK, and I think he doesn't like it here a lot. In fact, I think he hates it here. He misses Russia. He lived with his mother there, but now lives with his father, and—"
"He doesn't like Mister O'Neill," he concluded, whispering. Eli seemed surprised.
"Quite the contrary. He loves him, always trying to impress his father. That's why he's so obsessed with combat and training, he thinks that if he gets strong his dad will like him better."
"But he won't?" suggested Albus almost automatically.
"I don't like his father very much," Eli revealed. "Great auror. Not nearly as good as a father." He wanted to ask why Oscar didn't like him, but Eli now seemed very distracted, seeming to think of many things at the same time.
But he had an idea!
He should invite Eli to go with him to Hagrid's hut! There they might be able to talk better. He should call Edmond, Yato, and Lukas too. It would be fun! Something fun to do with friends!
Yeah!
Guinea pig and now a meeting with friends! Normal things for a normal student to do.
He quickly did so, with a happy smile. He was sure Hagrid wouldn't mind.
"Isn't Hagrid that big man?" Asked Yato.
"Is it true that he is half-giant? I want to learn more about them." Edmond seemed excited to go.
"Aren't half-giants dangerous?" Lukas sounded a bit afraid.
"I can go," said Eli.
"Great! Hagrid is nice. I'm sure you'll all like him," he stated. He kind of wished Hagrid had learned how to cook better because his cakes usually were too hard, difficult to swallow.
His next class now was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Edward Daniels Ikabonf. He wanted to remember Eli about the book but didn't want the boy to feel pressured. And anyway, it was too risky to ask about it when Lukas could be hearing, the boy was now having a conversation with Eli.
"When you were talking in Russian with O'Neill, why were you saying those things about Professor Abramovic. He probably understands Russian too, considering his accent," asked Lukas, serious.
"What?" Eli made an effort to remember "Oh! About vampires!" Remembered Eli, Lukas winced a bit.
"Yeah, about vampires, aren't you scared of them?" Asked the boy, serious, staring at Eli.
"Who's scared of them?" Asked Eli, laughing a bit. Lukas now seemed uncomfortable.
They arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Again, there was a shady atmosphere, the teacher again had lightened many candles.
"Welcome infants, combatants, soldiers! It's time to learn to defend against evil, against all forms of EVIL! I was supposed to teach you simple spells, but simplicity never saved anyone!" The teacher was now walking around the class, he pointed his wand to the board and started writing some instructions.
"Open your book in chapter 7," he ordered: "Combative strategies for beginners."
At that moment Oscar entered the room, he seemed... determined, ready for class, but most importantly ready "for combat". Eli cast a worried look at his friend, Oscar sat near Eli, completely ignoring Albus and his friends (even though Albus thought he had felt Oscar's gaze momentarily focused on him).
"Eli, I'm sorry." That's all he said.
"Are you okay?" He asked, still sounding worried.
"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?" He said in a somewhat impassive tone.
"If you are okay, it's all that matters to me, ok? If you need to talk, you can," said Eli, as if waiting for Oscar to reveal all to him. The boy didn't say a word.
"I'm not a weakling, Eli," he stated, a bit angrily.
"I never said that, but sometimes people need help—"
"It's all good," he emphasized, annoyed, "Don't interfere, I can solve my problems on my own," he emphasized, but his voice was a bit shaky.
The teacher began to teach them basic combat positions, and Oscar seemed to already know everything the teacher was saying. In reality, he seemed extremely bored.
"Generally, you wouldn't learn anything about magic duels in the first year, but I think that's wrong. I'm going to teach you at least the basics," he stated, starting to talk a little about the history of wizarding duels, about the correct position of holding the wands, about the gesture used when greeting, and about him having been champion of duels in Romania, "Yes, the duel is an art. The duel is a way of life. Duel is combat, it's resistance, it's effectiveness, it's practice, it's a fight, a reaction against impositions, attitude, counterattack," the teacher then listed a series of adjectives that described what duel was. He also taught them two spells that emitted red and green sparks from their wands, a spell that should be in case of danger.
"Unfortunately, the UK is nothing like my homeland, where children take classes from an early age, learn to duel soon, here safety generated slouch,' criticized E.D, "What is it, Mister O'Neill?" Oscar had raised his hand.
"Are we dueling?" Oscar asked, he seemed excited. There was a dangerous glow in his eyes.
"I tried, boy. Believe me, I tried to create a dueling club for the first years, but apparently, Professor Abramovic doesn't want you to—" he stopped, immediately "Erm..., sorry, I shouldn't criticize my colleagues. Professor Abramovic does know a lot... about theory... History...," he commented, in a critical tone. "To what extent does theory take us without practice?" He muttered softly.
The teacher seemed lost in his own thoughts, only then continued.
"No, we won't be dueling for now. The final test will be duels. There's no stopping me! It's going to be a duel. There are going to be duels, yes! But for now, I can only teach you the basics, but know that I can recommend books and give advice," he said looking very angry that he wouldn't be able to make them all duel at his classes every time. Albus sighed relieved, he already liked Professor Abramovic more.
"No duel club for the first years, those who need it the most..., but History of Magic club is allowed!" murmured him, still angry.
Well, Albus agreed. No one was going to get hurt in a History of Magic club.
"Clubs?" Asked Edmond, seeming excited.
"Yes, it'll be announced later. Also, raise your hand before speaking," said the teacher, strict. Edmond blushed with embarrassment. Albus thought it was unfair... other students were speaking without raising their hands.
"—But I want to duel."
"History of Magic club? So boring—"
The teacher finished giving him the basics about duels quickly and warned that next class he would be teaching them about vampires and ghosts, "We have to finish the educational program, and maybe then I can teach more spells for duels and less about magical creatures," he grumbled, grumpy.
Should he try to stay after class and ask the teacher about the "lurker"? He thought it would be good, though he found the professor a little too blunt.
When they were leaving, he told his friends: "I'll ask the teacher some questions," he warned. They looked at him confused, but left soon, saying they would guard him a seat.
Oscar and Eli were together already, walking away, they talked about something fast, in Russian.
"Boy?" The teacher raised his eyebrows, a bit grumpy.
"Professor Edward Daniels… I'm scared of the "Lurker", do you have any clues?" He started, the teacher seemed surprised, then his face got softer, but only a bit. He still looked kind of... menacing. He made Albus nervous, for some reason.
"Don't worry, kid. I'm here," he said, decided and determined "It's dark magic. Advanced. Too advanced. I've concluded that it may not be a student. I know of a teacher who loves esoterism, but—" murmured the teacher.
"But what is that dark substance?" E.D looked at him, thoughtful.
"It's a creature that doesn't belong to this world. But who could someone invoke such an abomination?"
"But why does it appear and then disappears? Why it attacks ghosts and the sorting hat?" He wondered.
"That's what confuses me, kid. It's just weird. If one mastered this kind of magic, this "lurker" or whatever you call it, would do a thousand times more damage. It would be much more dangerous. It confuses me. A Master would be able to fully control everything, but... it's like the person is hesitant. Confused. The person summons the Lurker, but soon it disappears, as if whoever controls it suddenly lost power over the thing. He appears to be an inexperienced wizard, but then he or she suddenly becomes proficient enough in esoteric dark magic to summon beings like that. Like they're two different people. Because one can't invoke this being while being inexperienced..., but the person is sometimes clearly inexperienced. Sometimes a Master, sometimes utterly inexperienced. A professor pretending to be inexperienced and losing control of it purposely, to lose track, that can only be it. If the person is not experienced, he can't invoke this, there is no way." The teacher immediately seemed to realize that he had said too much.
"Esoteric dark magic?" Albus asked, trying to get more information.
"That subject is forbidden. A taboo. Sorry for talking about that with you. Just forget about it. Everything will be okay," he said, reassuringly.
"Professor, I'm sorry, but I need to ask, is there a connection between that kind of magic and your family—"
"It's not my family," he replied quickly, angry.
"Sorry," Albus said almost immediately.
"Existed." It was all he said.
"Are there no more Ikabonfs?"
"Don't say that name here, young kid, or I'll give you detention," he stated.
Silence for some time.
"If there are still Ikabonfs out there, I think they should all die. The Ikabonfs, and the Nostrads too. All of them. Pests. Hideous, abominable, cruel plagues. I'm ashamed of my name and I deny it. It's the curse. The Nostrad-Ikabonf's curse. The curse that struck the East. Bloodlust and war," the man then stood motionless, pensive.
"Even Mister Celin?" Asked Albus, avoiding saying the name "Ikabonf".
"Yes. He tries to resurrect dead ideals and ideas," he commented, mysteriously, "Ikabonfs-Nostrads are synonymous with genocide. And I'm bound to drag that name, it's like dragging a dead body, a cadaver," he said, the man then stood motionless, thoughtfully
"You should go now, Potter. You'll be late for your next class," advised the professor.
Albus did so.
All Nostrad-Ikabonfs should die...
?
Genocide. Bloodlust. War. Abominations.
It all sounded scary.
And did the teacher suspect... who, exactly? Professor Abramovic? Professor Lynn Campbell (he also seemed to be "mystical")? But he thought E.D was referring to Professor Abramovic...
. Before he could get there to his next class, he felt someone pull on his robes and because he was already scared, he almost screamed. But it was just James trying to get his attention.
"Hey, Albus. How are you? A friend of mine was in the infirmary and saw you there, are you okay?" He quickly reassured his brother, who sighed with relief.
Silence. A wall between them.
"Look, Al. Sorry for earlier. I'm sorry if I upset you," he said, it was so strange to see James apologizing first.
"No problem—" He started saying, but James interrupted him.
"Have you talked to Rose yet?!" James asked, looking at the cousin, who was passing by them, with her friends and her friend-but-almost-boyfriend Duncan (who now told them he was related to Veelas "Because I'm just that beautiful!").
"Not yet. I haven't had much time."
"Okay. Just know that even if you're from a different house, you can still come and talk to your family normally, Al, we don't bite," James tried to joke, but his expression was serious. Albus shot him a confused look and James continued.
"It's just…, since you came here, you seem a little distant. You don't talk much to Rose, or Fred, Molly, Dominique, Victoire, or anyone in the family, actually, "he said, running his hand through his hair awkwardly.
"It's the second day, James," he replied, a little irritated.
"I just want you to know that you can always talk to family and friends" James raised his hands, diplomatically, "We worry about you. We do. Even Louis, the arrogant half-veela, was worried about you, even Louis, Al," said James, trying to joke, but his expression was full of tension, "Rose thinks you are mad at her," revealed James.
"W-What? Why? How?"
"She said you ignored her at the library, she is worried she did something bad."
"No! She didn't do anything. I just thought she was busy and—" Emphasized Albus.
"Then go talk to her, okay?" She was super sad, crying on Duncan's shoulders at the common room and all," he said.
"B-But—"
"She has been kind of sensitive lately, I think. Maybe it's uncle Ron, maybe it's that girl… Celes Roschstar-Steles who keeps saying bad things about some girls. She is mean, Al. She calls other girl's hair "messy birds' nests". Good thing Dom confronted her. But anyway, go talk with her," James said.
"Okay. Sorry for worrying you all so much," he said, feeling a bit down now.
"Thanks, no problem. You can worry me all you want, just… if you need, ask for help," he said, fast, "We worry," he left without saying anything else.
He sighed. Did he really seem that distant?
Perhaps he was subconsciously avoiding his family...
He got at the Herbology class just in time:
"—If you refuse to accept your father's criminal past, it's on you," said Eli brusquely and Albus saw Sallinger's face twitch, annoyed.
Criminal past? What was he talking about? What? Albus just got there and—
"If I were you, I'd be very careful. I can find things, Rosier. Who are you to talk to me about someone's criminal past?! Look at your family! You don't know anything about me or my father. Don't you dare provoke me! I can make your, your family, and your friends' lives a true hell! I'm am being good, I really am. But you shouldn't tease me", surprisingly, the boy's tone of voice was calm, almost impassive, he had a cold and cynical smile on his face. He said all that as if it were just a normal conversation. But he was clearly threatening people.
Eli just laughed, a cold, humorless laugh, not seeming intimidated at all, not even a bit.
"Keeping with the family business, huh? I discovered some things about you, Oscar helped me and my father—" Eli provoked.
"Shut up! What do you know?"
"Maybe more than you think. If I were you, I'd be very careful," Eli said, impassive.
"My father fights for ideals," he said, proudly.
"He still fights? I thought he declared publicly that it was all over, does he still fights for those ideals?" Sallinger seemed to finally have no comeback.
"Your father is a terrorist. Maybe he should go join Magnus Elliston at Oceanids," Sallinger's face was now furious.
"You'll pay for that," stated Sallinger.
The atmosphere was heavy. Sallinger gave him an icy look, very similar to Oscar's.
"Just give me an answer… do you support the DPM?" Asked Eli, suddenly.
"I have no obligation to answer you, Rosier. You keep defending the marshmallow boy…," he whispered, clearly referring to his half-brother. Oscar gave him a murderous look.
"I don't need anyone to defend me," he stated, angrily.
"You're a softie at heart, only a tough boy on the outside," he laughed, provocatively.
"Duel me and I'll crush you."
Sallinger didn't have enough time to give Oscar a proper answer, he strategically left when Professor Longbottom finally arrived, holding a giant and heavy pink cactus, with yellow fluffy flowers.
"What was that all about?" Edmond asked, suddenly extremely interested.
"Sallinger is being an idiot. I don't know why he's so nervous. It's not like it's a secret, at least for some families, what the Sallinger family did ... it's not my problem if people have short memories", Eli said, mysteriously.
"Eli? Come sit with me," said Oscar, in an almost demanding way.
"I—"
"I need you," said Oscar. It seemed like a bit of emotional blackmail, but Eli went with the friend. Eli was a good friend. And…, well… maybe Oscar did need Eli.
"You need me? Earlier you said—" Asked Eli, laughing.
"I-I mean. You need me. You are horrible at Herbology, Eli," stated, Eli, a bit awkwardly.
"I'm better than you. You don't like plant—"
"I improved. I'm now highly proficient, Eli!" He insisted.
"Sure…" By Eli's tone, he wasn't convinced.
He discussed what he talked to Professor Ikabonf with his friends.
Lukas, again, seemed to be hugely uncomfortable.
"A curse? Did they brought some kind of curse to the East… the curse that struck the East…" Edmond said, thoughtful.
"They didn't bring a curse, they were and they still are the curse," stated Lukas, seemingly scared, his face pale, he looked like he was going to throw up.
"So, are they still there? Can they live that much, those Nost—" Was saying Yato.
"Please, don't say that name," begged Lukas, "Yes, they are still there, and they will always be there because they can never leave, they haunt places, they—"
"Wait, aren't they vampires?" Asked Albus, remembering what Oscar had said before. Lukas shuddered, terrified.
"They are. That's why vampires are so scary. You foreigners—" he started, but soon looked apologetic "Sorry, didn't mean to be disrespectful, "People just don't understand. When you think about vampires you are thinking about ghouls! Vampire, at least, according to our tribe and some other tribes from Russia, like the Anoushka, or the Dynaras, are more of spiritual evil beings," explained Lukas, his hands shaking in fear.
"Ghouls… like the ones who live in the basements? You are right. When I think about vampires I think about those types of—" Started Edmond.
"You're terribly wrong," Lukas stated, seeming to want to end the whole conversation.
"Bloodsucking evil spirits?" Asked Yato, trying to understand.
Lukas stopped talking suddenly "No. I won't talk about that," he stated, focusing on the plants.
The class took place without major incidents, but Sallinger, annoyed with Eli, discounted his irritation at Arabella, making the girl cry, he seemed to feel bad almost immediately.
"Sorry, Bels, my cute cupcake, sorry, ok?"
"You can't be mean to your girlfriend, Sal. If you make me sad, I won't make you a kiwi cake," threatened her, still a bit tearful.
"Sorry," he apologized again.
Lukas remained quiet and frightened all class.
Yato tried to cheer him up but ended up throwing mud and leaves onto the boy's robes when he tripped over a plant. At least he made Lukas laugh.
Edmond ended up dropping ink on the plants again and Albus was attacked by a mini Whomping Willow.
Oscar wasn't so proficient in Herbology as he had previously told Eli, and ended up burning a plant when he tried to show the friend a spell to make the plant grow faster.
"Highly proficient, huh?"
"Shut up, Eli."
…
"Finally, time to eat!" Said Yato, happy when they were going to the great hall, but…
Serena.
Oh no.
A girl.
The girl!
Oh no. Oh no…
He completely forgot about the girl, she was again (as always) accompanied by a group of girls laughing, giggling.
The girl that had given him the letter.
He blushed, uncomfortable.
Girls.
He didn't want to have anything to do with girls right now.
No girls.
No.
No, no, no, no.
No!
She stood at the door of the great hall, with a pineapple pendant around her neck, looking at him, smiling.
His hair was a mess because of the mini whomping willow attack!
…
He tried to make it messier. To avoid the girl.
He was lucky that Sallinger suddenly decided to provoke Oscar and cause a commotion…
Sallinger was passing near Oscar, but he decided to stop for a while just to provoke his half-brother.
He whispered something. Oscar's face went from neutral to furious in a matter of seconds.
"Fuck you, Sallinger," he cursed, aggressively. The provocative boy just laughed and was ready to leave.
"No, Oscar! It's not worth it!" Exclaimed Eli, he saw that Oscar had his hands on his robes, looking for his wand.
"Just a spell, no one will know it was me," said the boy, threateningly.
"Everyone will know it was you! You're causing a commotion! Not here. What's wrong with you? Do you want to start a fight in the middle of the hall on our second day?" Eli asked irritably.
"Oh, what's wrong with me? Yes, I'm always in the wrong, aren't I? Didn't you see, Eli? He started," said Oscar, irritated, raising his voice.
Some students nearby turned their heads to them and started whispering.
"And you're going on with it. Don't do that."
"Don't tell me what to do! That idiot stole my letter, I know it was him! I met him and suddenly I don't have my letter anymore! He did that, sneaky bastard, a personal letter from my father, read it and won't give it back! I have to shut him up before he goes around with his big mouth telling the whole school about. about ... you know, my dad and everything" He never saw Oscar so furious. He didn't know how Eli managed to remain so calm.
" Oh! And you think he could keep it all to himself that long? That he wouldn't have told everyone already? Do you really think he can be quiet about anything?" said Eli, in a diplomatic tone, trying to calm down his friend "What was even in the letter. You don't tell me anything anymore," pointed out Eli, critically.
"Oh, believe me, Eli. He can keep secrets! He can perfectly keep it all to himself, and then when you least expect he'll tell everyone. And why won't you support me in this? Am I in the wrong and being irrational? Thanks, Eli!" He said, almost hysterical.
"Calm down. People are looking. Are you sure he has that goddam letter? Are you just going to attack him without being sure, without having proof?"
"Yes," Oscar said, simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "Do I need reasons to attack that prick?" He said, angrily.
More people looking.
Sallinger was already far away, laughing loudly, seeming to think it was the funniest thing ever.
"Ok. Someone has your letter. Try to remember everything about it. Did you meet someone else? Maybe you just let it fall and a random person has it, "said Eli, trying his best to remain calm.
"You were provoking him earlier, I saw! And now you act—"
"I was helping you! Just think! Calm down," said Eli.
Oscar took a deep breath and seemed to think for a while.
This was dangerous. He could remember that the two met and then accuse him of having his letter...
And he would be right…
He tried to act normally. He began to move away slowly.
He felt someone looking at him.
Oscar.
He looked furious.
Oh boy…
Albus thought he was going to curse him right there in the hall.
He would give the letter back! He would! Why was he so unlucky?!
"Oscar… hum… what? What is happening? Calm down." Warned Eli, he looked confused, but Albus could see Oscar looking directly at him with menacing eyes.
Surprisingly, the boy did not take out his wand, he suddenly got up and went in the opposite direction.
"Albus..." Eli looked at him, confused, approaching him, carefully.
The students seemed to have lost interest, no fight, no duel… now they were leaving to eat.
"I have his letter," he confessed, awkwardly, ashamed.
"He didn't look happy..." said Yato, cautiously. It was an understatement.
"He's furious," said Eli, honestly, he sighed deeply.
"You shouldn't have done that, you know?" said Eli in a critical, but still understanding tone "I'm worried his father may—" Eli stopped himself immediately, "I'll talk with you about the letter later," he said, looking around. A bit less crowded, but still not the ideal place to talk about important matters.
"I'm sorry, you're right. I just ... he really hates me now, doesn't he?" He said, looking down, sadly.
Eli sighed again.
"Where is he going now?" He asked, curious.
"Probably he's going somewhere where he can think about ways of killing you," said Eli, Albus got pale.
Oh no…
"Sorry. It was just a joke. To lighten up the mood," commented Eli.
It didn't work.
"Look, I know that Oscar can seem like a scary and angry guy, but if you start being friends with him, you'll see that he can be a very good friend. He's a little dramatic at times. I've had a lot of silly arguments with him, when he hits me with a curse, I just attack him back, and sometime later, we're settled, it's all good. All solved. Face him, and, most importantly…, be honest with him. He's probably more embarrassed that you read the letter than angry with you," advised Eli, quietly, in a whisper.
He was ready to go find Oscar, but Eli stopped him with an incredulous look.
"Not now! Wait for him to calm down first," he warned.
He looked down again, embarrassed, it was all his fault.
He felt horrible.
"I'm sure he's secretly glad. I mean, at least, it wasn't Sallinger," stated Eli, trying to cheer him up.
Eli went after Oscar then, saying he would talk with him first, promising it would all turn out fine, reassuring him.
"Don't feel bad, no sadness when eating," said Yato, suddenly pulling him away, eager to eat.
"Yeah! Bad emotions can negatively impact your studies, and your general well-being, Albus, according to healers—" Edmond began advising him, telling him that he needed to take good care of his health, good emotions, healthy eating, and for some reason, he was rather convinced that Albus should start doing yoga…
"Yes! Yoga, Albus. Yoga is the answer. Magda, who is like a mother to me in the orphanage, teaches Yoga to women who have been turned into werewolves recently and is a really good way to relax, releasing negative energies, accepting who you are. I mean… look at me." He then started whispering, "I become a monster at full moons, but I don't want to let it make me give up on anything in life," he stated, decided. Albus remembered that… well, he didn't always seem...comfortable with his situation. He noticed certain insecurity in Edmond's voice as if his friend just said that to try to convince himself...
The full moon was approaching…
He would have to become a "monster" soon…
Lukas gave him, for some reason, a rainbow candy that tasted strange, pepper and lemon! Albus didn't like it at all.
But... They were all trying to cheer him up. He was so happy he had good friends.
He ate his food, it tasted great! But he felt that the best thing… he felt comforted and supported by his friends.
He forgot his problems for some time.
But… maybe one of the best things was…
Scorpius. For some strange reason, Albus couldn't not smile…
He felt kind of stupid all of a sudden, but... happy.
"Can I seat with you?" He asked suddenly. He saw that Celes and Janus near the boy, almost as if they were following him, he seemed to want to avoid them, "Please…, those two have been around and it's getting creepy," he whispered, "They won't seat here," he revealed.
"Hum, why?" He asked, curious.
"Patris. You don't know, but… well, last year Patris kind of… obliterated both of them in a duel, everyone from Ravenclaw knows, they tried to "punish" Patris for "disrespecting" them, it didn't work. They are still angry he became Prefect," revealed him, whispering.
He looked admired at Patris, who sat near Ranirus, trying to teach the boy about the History of Magic ("So boring! Why won't you leave me alone!" lamented Ranirus.)
"Then he's good at duels?" He asked.
"Good is an understatement! He beat them both in less than a minute! With spells... wow, you had to see, it was a wonderful show. I've never seen anyone look so humiliated before. He asked at the end if, "Is that all you both have? Wow. Just wow!" Commented Scorpius, his shining eyes with admiration, "If I were good like this…, no one would bully me," he murmured, "Sorry…, I was talking to myself."
"He's a dangerous nerd then," commented Yato, filling the dish with corn pie.
Albus hated corn, he picked up the pink strawberry pie.
"No dessert now! Albus, you have to eat right! Why did I just tell you," criticized Edmond.
"But I want pie…"
"No!" Said simply, Edmond "You'll be hungry later if you eat only pie."
"I'll eat Jumping Cookies too!" He suggested, looking at the enchanted vanilla cookies who jumped at the table. They were so delicious!
Yato was laughing at him.
"Oh, man. Do you only like sweets?"
Lukas didn't say anything. Maybe because he himself had already taken a big piece of cheery pudding dessert before eating proper food…
"You have to eat well to be well. I take care of the younger ones at the orphanage. I already know everything I need to know about nutrition. You need to make a balanced dish, no celebrity diets," he emphasized, looking at the Arabella Astros' plate that contained only a single small leaf of lettuce with pepper sauce and three small chestnuts.
But Albus wanted desserts…
"Why are those two following me?" Wondered Scorpius, suddenly.
"You should stay away from them, Scorpius. Please," said Albus, worried. He didn't want Scorpius to be recruited.
"I want to do that. They are the ones that keep following me."
"Stay close to Patris," advised him, a bit desperate. Scorpius laughed.
"Hey, it's not that serious. I don't want to bother anyone with it. About that party—"
"And please don't go to their party," he said.
"Do you know something I don't, Albus?" He knows looked kind of suspicious.
"They are evil. They hurt people," he whispered.
"I know that. You don't know that, but last year everyone saw how they started spreading all those nasty rumors about some students, gossiping, destroying reputations," he said.
Albus thought of them torturing George and Richard...
"And the bullying—" Scorpius interrupted him, abruptly.
"I don't want to talk about that."
"But it got better, right?" He asked, at least George and Richard were told they "Had other priorities or something like that."
"No," he stated simply.
"Huh? Can I—"
"No." Albus was going to ask if he could help, but Scorpius was avoiding the topic.
"Why don't you ask Oscar—"
"I won't ask him to solve my problems. Last time I checked he had a ton of his own problems," he stated emphatically.
"What are you going to do then?"
"Survive. They'll see I'm good. I try to be good; they'll just realize on their own," he said, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself…, just like Edmond.
"Oscar…, does he have problems with his dad?" He asked, quietly.
"I think it's his father that has problems with him. Oscar loves him, will do anything he asks, but his father… Oscar's just loses it sometimes. A good thing he has Eli," replied Scorpius, vaguely.
"Did they spread rumors about my family?" He asked, suddenly remembering what James told him.
"Yes…, mostly but not only about your family."
"And about you?"
"No. Surprisingly no. I don't why. I mean, just look at my family, everyone knows what the Malfoy did back in the war, it's no mystery to anyone," he said, neutral.
"War? Did the magical folk had a war?" Asked Yato, oblivious.
"Yes. My family fought on the wrong side," explained Scorpius, he could hear the shame on his voice "But he's a better man now, he works at Gringotts, nothing shady…, just a normal and honest job," he clarified, fast. Albus could see he felt proud of his father, even if he tried not to show it much, maybe afraid of people criticizing his admiration for "an ex-death eater", for a man that "had been on the dark side".
"That's… rough," said Yato, lamely, not seeming to fully understand the extent of it all.
"Against who?" Asked the boy, still curious.
"You-Know-Who," said Edmond, with a shiver.
"Who? I don't know…" Yato, again, oblivious.
"Voldemort," said Albus, that name still displeased some students…
Yato still seemed curious but didn't ask further.
"Scorpius, you should take care, ok?" Albus said again.
"O-Okay…, it's really not that serious, Albus. Don't be so worried," Scorpius said, a bit confused.
"Okay," he said, eating a tiny bit of chicken… he would eat dessert later.
Ranirus was now trying to scare Patris away, putting pink prank caterpillars on the table, near the boy.
But it was Arabella Astros who got startled by the pink caterpillar and let out a scream.
The girl hugged Salinger tightly, screamed that she was afraid of caterpillars. Sallinger was way more startled by his girlfriend's reaction than by the caterpillars. The boy made a visible effort not to laugh. Many students from Ravenclaw seemed jealous of him and Arabella's relationship, especially the older ones. A first-year already had a girlfriend, on the second day…
"Ranirus! I try to help you and you try to prank people with pink caterpillars? How can you be so childish?" Asked Patris, annoyed.
"But I'm a child!"
"No! You are a proud Ravenclaw, minus 10 points."
"Oh, man!"
"No "Oh, man!", no "Bruh" me, where did you learn to talk like that? This is no wizarding speech," said Patris.
"On the television!"
"I never heard of any telision in this world, that doesn't exist," stated Patris, serious.
"Bruh…"
"Ranirus!"
Albus found the little pink caterpillar so cute, he wanted to have a caterpillar... Did Ranirus have more?
He realized that one of them had fallen on the ground, he decided to take it, because he was afraid that someone might step on it.
He put the little animal in his robe's pocket. So cute.
When would it become a butterfly? Would the butterfly be pink or another color?
"Man, you love animals, don't you?" Asked Yato, smiling.
"Yep."
Serena Harcliff looked at him, not seeming to like caterpillars at all...
Could he scare her with a caterpillar?
To make her go away?
...Serena Harclif.
But, even seeing he had a caterpillar in his pocket, the girl waved at him.
Albus pretended he didn't see her.
He was so uncomfortable.
He didn't want to have to worry about girls…
He had too much to think about…
Why was this happening? He didn't want that.
"Albus, I came here to... erm... can we talk?" His line of thought was interrupted, he noticed that Rose was talking to him. She had come to the Ravenclaw table, alone, she was standing near the table, receiving some confused looks from some students, the girl seemed a little embarrassed, but she was looking curiously at Yato trying to put a large amount of apple pie on his small dessert plate, pouring pie and making the table towel dirty.
"Oh ok." He really wasn't angry with her cousin.
They went to a corridor near the great hall, she gently stroked the braid in her hair. Before he could say anything, she spoke.
"I'm sorry, Albus. I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry... was it because I said I'd be waiting for you in Gryffindor? Ravenclaw is an excellent house, one of my best friends, Catia, is in this house and I know that your common room is wonderful and—" she spoke very fast, pouring words frantically, almost crying.
"Rose, you didn't do anything," he said, trying to calm his cousin.
"Then why didn't you talk to me?"
"I-I'm sorry, Rose. Actually, I'm the one who should be apologizing. At the library, I thought you were busy."
"I'm never busy for my family, Al," she stated, firmly, "And, you know it's not just that… at home, when I came to visit you didn't talk to me a lot either, we were inseparable, Al, we were best friends!" She spoke. And, well, it was true. But, mostly, because, in the beginning, right after his rescue, he had felt overly anxious and mostly kept to himself. It wasn't on purpose; he didn't want to upset her cousin. He just had felt… overwhelmed. One year of his life… lost. And—
It had been hard.
"I'm sorry, Rose, you were with your friend…, boyfriend, I didn't want to interrupt," Rose looked surprised.
"Oh. No, he is not my boyfriend. He's gay, I discovered some time ago," she explained.
"It's my fault. I should have known ... a guy can't be handsome, intelligent, good at sports, adorable, attentive, kind, know how to cook, be stylish and not be gay... or already have a girlfriend, which is the case of-, "she was saying, but stopped, suddenly, blushed.
Was her cousin in love with someone? Someone who already had a girlfriend? Who was it? He was curious now…
Rose, what would make a girl not like you anymore? "He asked shyly. Rose looked quite confused. She raised her eyebrows for a moment.
"Well, maybe if a guy was really rude? But, well, I think some girls like a bad boy, maybe if he ignored her, but ... no, wait, then some might feel more interested, well ... maybe if he has a bad reputation... like Malfoy, you know? He's in Ravenclaw, but I don't know if you talk to him a lot, I know I wouldn't be interested in a Malfoy. Ever," she suggested thoughtfully.
Albus was now confused.
"Why wouldn't you like Scorpius?"
"I… Wait! Is he your friend?" She asked, surprised.
"Yes."
"But… isn't it dangerous to be friends with him?" Asked Rose, kind of worried "People were gossiping—"
"Was it Celes and Janus?" He asked, had Scorpius hidden this fact?
"No. They actually tried to stop the gossip. But just the one that was about Malfoy. Stay away from that terrible, horsed face, mean girl, and from that horrible boy, Albus. They've been telling atrocious things about Molly, she was crying. Only because she has some difficulty with magic, they won't stop calling her a squib and saying tons of horrible stuff! Molly is wonderful, she does fantastic things, with and without magic, she's talented and great. I can't stand those two! And we can't do anything against them! Laurent Balthus, the Principal, loves the twins! We tried to tell him about all the gossip they've been spreading and he gave us detentions!" Said the cousin frustrated, with tears of anger in her eyes.
"But… wait, what was the gossip about Scorpius?"
Right at that moment, Rose's friend called her. Their friend, Lizzie, was declaring herself to a boy.
"She went there, Rose! Come quickly, she ... she ... well, he didn't even look at her. She's devastated."
Why were people so interested in dating?
And…, most importantly, how could he solve his problem with Serena? Rose was kind, but not really that helpful.
Should he ask some of his friends, who were boys, how to do that?
And there was always Sallinger…, he seemed to be a master of making people hate his guts…, he could picture him asking "Sallinger, please, teach me how to make a girl hate me, you seem very skilled in making people hate you, you're mean and provoke people unnecessarily… can you teach me that art?"
Albus's classes were quite good. Nothing too alarming had happened until now.
The only thing was that… at the end of the History of Magic class, a girl with freckles and a personalized yellow and pink Hufflepuff scarf, Sarah Marchbanks, was been called by the headmaster in person, he had a very kind but serious expression on her face.
She didn't go back to class.
Serena kept following him. Yato advised him saying he should throw a frog at the girl, but Albus was horrified at the possibility of hurting a poor, innocent frog.
"Okay, okay. Animal-loving Albus. No animal cruelty here, I'm sorry," he answered laughing.
"Throw dirty at her, then" suggested Edmond.
"Summons the love-breaker spirit," was Lukas's suggestion.
"What?"
"It works," he said, emphatically, when the other laughed.
"Why is a girl liking me? What did I do?" He said, annoyed.
"Well, you like animals, plants and your father is famous. Girls like that, I think," said Yato.
"They prefer puppies, I told Mike at the orphanage to go talk with Angela and take a puppy with him…," said Edmond, proudly at his knowledge about what girls liked.
"But I like puppies too," stated Albus, confused, "Everyone does…,"
"What? Of course not. Boys like dangerous animals, like killer dinosaurs and hippopotamus, puppies are for girls," said Yato, jokingly.
"No, they aren't… Puppies are for everyone," said Albus, quietly.
"Okay. Okay. You win. Are you happy you got a fat porcupine back?" Asked Yato. He was very happy, indeed! His porcupine had been successfully unfrozen by the teacher and was doing well.
"Dinner time!" Screamed Yato, suddenly, not waiting for Albus' response when they arrived at the great hall.
"Wait! No! I forgot my wand," said Albus, suddenly remembering. Soon after dinner, they would have a special non-mandatory charms-and-combative-spells-for-duels additional class (it was professor Edward Daniel's initiative; he would have professor Flitwick's help…).
"How can you forget it?!" Asked Edmond, incredulous.
"I—" The truth was that he was avoiding touching his wand and doing spells if it wasn't really necessary. The wand… he hated it!
Ever since he let his wand in the dorm room, he had felt much better...
"[…] bound to drag that name, it's like dragging a dead body, a cadaver, […]" for some reason, professor Edward Daniels' statement came into his mind
The wand… dead decomposed corpse's finger… he had to carry that dead thing with him.
"What if someone attacks you?" Asked Lukas, critically.
"I'll help, don't worry I've been studying charms for Flitwick's class, you can trust me! I know everything I need to know about charms now," said Edmond, reliable, proud of his studies, "But…, you should carry your wand at all times!" Advised him.
"T-Thanks."
"I thought you were going to throw dirty at them, Ed," said Yato, laughing. Edmond blushed.
"N-No, but I-I mean I can! We must study the battlegrounds and see the proper strategy too—"
Albus quickly went to get his wand, he didn't want to be late for dinner, he wanted to be with his friends, he felt happy and relaxed near them… it was simply calming.
Good against anxiety.
He could manage, he could do it with his friends' help.
Wonderful friends.
The corridors were a bit empty. Most students were already having dinner. Hogwarts looked even bigger now, with corridors that were too long and stairs that kept moving.
Has anyone ever fallen from these stairs? Thought Albus, somberly.
Stop with these bad thoughts!
He looked down and soon regretted it.
Just darkness and hard concrete down there.
Better not to think about it.
A chill ran down his body.
Every time he was alone, he felt… worse.
Way worse.
The silence.
His friends' absence.
Lonely.
He needed to get back to the great hall, with his friends.
He should have called Yato, Lukas, or Edmond to come with him…
He felt an ominous sensation…
Was it just anxiety?
It had to be.
….
Strange.
…
Someone was watching.
Someone was looking directly at him.
Who was it?
He looked back.
No one.
There was no one there.
No one was staring.
Just anxiety. Right?
He had to get to the common room fast.
He had a horrible feeling.
Horrible feelings just started arriving suddenly.
Am I in danger?
Hogwarts is safe…
Right?
…
Unfortunately, the stairs took him to the wrong place.
He realized this after a while when he saw the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower, uninhabited at this hour, classes would only happen later for upper years.
I knew it wasn't that long ladder that went up, it was the shortest one that went down! He thought, angrily.
He could have used the Marauders' Map! He wouldn't have gotten lost.
He noticed a small sign on the wall:
Astronomy Tower: Students are allowed here only for classes! Do not enter or remain here without a teacher's supervision! - Minerva McGonagall.
The former headmistress (and a dear friend of her family) retired after long years of service, but her name remained in some parts of the castle, as some kind of legacy.
After that warning, there was the symbol of a moon and a star.
…
StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar, he thought him strangely, in a loop, repeating the words in his mind, almost… automatically.
Subconsciously.
He would end up being afraid of stars…
There was nothing wrong with those images, they were there because it was the Astronomy Tower!
But he felt ... strange. It seemed that some kind of force was pushing him and forcing him up the steps of the small ladder that led to the tower.
He had to go up those stairs now.
He just had to do it.
It was just something he had to do!
He could see, then, an exuberant view.
The whole Hogwarts' grounds.
It was wonderful!
He stood for a moment, happy, looking at the landscape, without thinking much about anything. He was just surprised. So beautiful.
However, he started feeling… cold.
An unexplained cold, suddenly.
He pressed his robes against his body.
This was not what he was supposed to be seeing, he knew. He had to take a good look at the Forbidden Forest, pay attention, and watch calmly. There was something there that he needed to see and then warn—
Warn? Warn who? About what? Why did he have to observe something in the forest?
Bizarre.
Why was he thinking that?
The thoughts were frantic, automatic, they just... happened... he didn't control them... subconscious.
The thoughts…
They didn't belong to him.
No. Because Albus didn't know anything about "something he had to see in a forest," "that he had to warn someone"
He looked at the landscape again.
But did he feel ... sleepy?
No, that was not right.
It was as if his conscience was leaving him.
He was being pushed away… another force pulling his conscious out!
Was he passing out?
That was the last thing he remembered.
…
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but strangely, he had regained consciousness (was that the right expression?).
Only to see that he was standing at the front of the mirror, in Ravenclaw's common room bathroom.
He had been near the Astronomy Tower, but now, why was he there?
How did he got there?
He looked around, very confused.
What had happened? He was scared.
What was wrong with him?
Okay, this is scary and worrying.
Maybe he should talk to someone about it…
He didn't have to reveal everything, because he thought that if he did, people would say he was crazy.
Or possessed.
Don't you remember when your mother told the Chamber of Secrets' story?
What if you are being possessed?
Possessed by an "evil bloodsucking spirit"? The man in the well… what if he was a vampire, a Nostrad-Ikabonf… who was haunting him, haunting him. The Evil Ghost.
He thought desperately.
Was his line of thoughts right? Or was he wrong?
Albus saw a dark figure in the blurry mirror, saw something by the corner of his eyes.
Get out of the front of the mirror. Whatever's in there, you don't want to see it, do you? He thought alarmed. But—
Albus needed to be braver, or he wouldn't solve any of his problems and would be thinking about it for the rest of the day.
What a moment to be brave! No! Leave, run away! Now! He thought for a brief moment.
The mystery, the suspense, the things he didn't know, the things he couldn't talk to anyone about… all that generated more fear than the "thing itself"…
The atmosphere of fear was highly intensified by the taboos that surrounded the discussion of all the many topics relating to past events:
If he could know more, if he were able to get more information, if he could get help from his friends and family, discuss it without any kind of impediment, everything would be much less scary, wouldn't it?
The wisdom demystified the object of fear, knowing about something makes something much less frightening, but this atmosphere of mystery makes everything seem a thousand times worse, makes the monsters take diffuse and inhuman forms, with unknown powers and therefore they become… terrifying, they become incomprehensible abominations.
Who is there, in the mirror, on the other side, in the "other world"? Who or what?
But the wizarding society was imposing barriers to the full spread of knowledge and thereby generating fear, despair, and speculation. It was taboo. It was esoteric dark magic.
He couldn't elucidate his doubts, he couldn't demystify his fears.
He needed to know. And the truth would set him free! He wanted to know the truth!
The terror presenting itself in real life was often much less frightening than the imagined terror.
Think of brave people, his father is brave. He's a hero.
The dark figure moved and he looked. He stared in the mirror with determination, it was fleeting courage, but Albus felt proud of himself.
…
He felt like he was being transported to another place.
It was very brief, but he saw the inside of a room and a man.
He saw the tall man back, his white hair, and his long nails (or should he say claws because they didn't seem to belong to a human).
I need to run, he thought immediately, alarmed.
…
All his courage... gone.
Right in front of me. He. The man in the well. Too close. If I wanted to, I could touch him.
The man in the well had already touched Albus with his dead hands, had already hurt him. The cold.
Abysmal cold emanated from the man that stood tall and unmoving, like a portrait of pure grandeur.
Albus felt engulfed at staring at the man's back, his eyes... vampire.
A vampire in front of him.
Cause of pure terror. Inhuman. Humanoid, terribly beautiful in a grotesque way.
The countenance of a mystical sage, ready to pour, through his vampirical mouth, terrible secrets. To tell you the truth you don't want to know.
From his mouth, at any time, horrendous abominations would come out, old and evil magical words.
Evil, an abomination.
Man in the well looked at him, but… was he seeing Albus? He seemed to feel only the boy's presence:
"Whoare you?"
He felt that his body was invaded by the man of the well... he was losing his sense of being, losing himself. Possession?
But—
Suddenly he was back.
…
The mirror broke.
The shards of glass exploded violently.
As if a powerful invisible force had hit the mirror.
He heard glass breaking noise also in the dormitory.
Suddenly. Darkness. Dark. All dark.
I saw it, it came from the mirror, the figure, it's in front of me, it's him. Got out of
"there", and now he's—,
...
I must search and find what I'm looking for, but the corridors are dark and don't take me anywhere. It is because something is different. Something in me has changed and I am not the same as before. I follow the same goal, but I know that when I retrieve The Scepter, I'll attract terrible bad luck to me. The tragedy will befall those who own the relics. I need to meet him and talk to him about it... he will know how to help me, but where is he? And where am I? I feel some interference and my thoughts are confused. I have to hurry, otherwise, I will fail. This body…, my conscious is divided. But I shall reign, no one shall notice my presence, I shall—
When Albus woke up he was near the exit leading to the Greenhouses…
Why was he there?
Again!
It had happened again!
What was he doing?
The thoughts he had heard before... looking for a scepter? Why? What? Who?
He was having such a great day so far…
He had broken the bathroom mirror; how would he explain that? Well…, the man in the well had broken it, but he would have to take the blame!
But, most importantly, what time was it?
Oh no…
Dinner was over.
He has been "out" for… hours?
And he didn't remember anything.
He had saw the man in the well.
He saw him before the mirror broke.
The tall man.
The vampire.
He. The Evil Ghost. He, the one, who was possessing him. He was being possessed, right?
A spiritual being that haunted him from the "Beyond"?
A "bloodsucking evil spirit"?
Dead…, but alive.
He had to know more about him, but… latter.
Now he was terrified. He was shacking and could barely walk.
Some of his thoughts felt like no more than mere assumptions, disconnected ideas.
He had to understand better, he wasn't sure about everything he was thinking about yet… was he really a Nostrad-Ikabonf? Circle… Star… He kept saying those things…
The man in the well was the one who kept making him have weird thoughts.
Albus Severus Potter, your diagnosis is:
Ghosts.
You have ghosts.
The haunting.
Evil Ghost haunting you.
"Albus!" He heard from afar a very worried Yato, coming with Lukas and Edmond.
"You disappeared! You were gone! Completely! You never came back, we went to check the common room to see if you were there, and then we saw the bathroom's mirror shattered glass pieces on the floor, and our dorm's windows too! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Let me see." Edmond examined him briefly.
"We were about to call a teacher! We saw some blood and thought you were hurt." Confessed Lukas.
"Yes, Lukas was worrying a lot over the broken mirror," commented Yato, looking curiously at Lukas.
"It's because broken mirrors are a terrible sign! I already explained it to you two," said the boy, a bit annoyed.
"And we've been searching for hours! It's almost curfew! We didn't see you anywhere. Where were you?" Asked Yato, confused.
I have to reveal to you all that, in fact, I don't know where I was this whole time, he thought, nervous.
It was time to tell them.
This was starting to get out of his control, and now it was time, to be honest with his friends.
They could help. It would be better like this.
He would reveal to them…, maybe he could reveal to everyone. Tell his family.
They could elaborate theories and solve this together.
"I'm being haunted," he started, lamely. How could he summarize what was happening to him in a rational way, without sounding completely crazy.
He was feeling overwhelmed, his legs were weak, he was afraid he would fall to the ground, faint.
His neck… hurt. It hurt. A lot. A piercing pain.
His left arm was itching strangely and a "cold current" was passing through his arm. Only now he noticed he held his wand in his hand. Its tip glowed, crystallized by a layer of ice, his arm—
"You hurt your arm, Albus. It's bleeding!" Said Edmond, alarmed. The blood on his arm fell on the wand that... absorb it quickly, as if hungry for blood. Consuming his blood, just like a vampire. The more blood it seemed to consume, the more its crystalized tip glowed in a sick and disturbing way.
"It was the mirror, I think," he tried, not really sure…, but he didn't want to look at his arm right now. He was still traumatized by the time he saw the mark of man in the well's hand there back at home.
But why were his friends paying attention to that? His arm was, in fact, bleeding and hurting, but wasn't his confession (that he was being haunted!) the most important part of all?!
Wasn't it shocking? Didn't any of them had any questions to make? None of them were surprised?!
Overwhelmed, nervous, anxious. He needed his friend's support. He needed them to hear him, to believe him, to help him.
"Look, I know this all will sound crazy, but I think I'm being possessed by—"
"Albus…" Yato's tone sounded a little hurt "You can trust us, tell us what's happening," he asked.
"Huh?" They were looking at him very worriedly now.
But he just told them!
Well, at least, he had started to try explaining the inexplicable. It was a start, why were they saying that-
"You can talk to us," insisted Yato again.
"I'm talking. I just told you the mirror broke because I—"
"Talk with us," empathized Edmond. Lukas looked at him seriously, waiting for his explanation.
What?
He was talking, but… couldn't they hear?!
Panic.
Sudden panic.
Mind'sSanctuary, theCircleisclosed
He heard the terrible and nefarious whisper…
No!
But...
He already knew. He knew it, even if subconsciously.
They weren't hearing because the man in the well was doing something…
He should have known that he wouldn't let him reveal things.
He had been too naïve!
He felt stupid, an idiot. Too naïve. Way too naïve.
The man in the well might be laughing at him right now!
Of course, you have to solve this on your own, Albus Severus Potter! You are alone, he thought, tears threatening to fall.
He felt sad.
He was alone.
And the loneliness was crushing and desperation, he felt his heart beat faster as the anxiety increased.
"I'm fine. I was just walking, guys. I know I need to talk with Oscar-," he tried. At least that, they were able to hear.
Albus wasn't feeling well. He wanted to cry his eyes out. He was alone against that terrible vampire, specter… whatever he really was. He was afraid. He felt weak, dizzy. All symptoms of anxiety. His neck hurt a lot.
"Okay," he clearly didn't believe him, "but…, I saw Oscar in the common room. He was arguing with Eli when we left to search for you. Oscar surprised Salinger when he came to put his books in the dorm, and Arabella got locked outside a cabinet, don't ask me how," said Edmond in a still tense tone.
"That boy can look like a murderer when he's angry," commented Lukas.
Yato was still staring at him. Curious and suspicious.
Please, Yato. Be attentive and realize that I'm lying. That something is wrong. Because I can't tell you. Please, notice, notice it! He almost prayed in his mind.
He could try and come with a strategy to try telling them. A code. He just had to think about something. Later…
His neck…
He wanted to tell them…, but he simply couldn't! It was so revolting! Now that he built up enough courage (or desperation) to tell them, he couldn't!
He hated it.
"Come. It's almost curfew," said Lukas, gently, touching his unhurt arm and taking him back to the common room. Albus was immensely glad… he felt so dizzy and unstable.
His friends knew he wasn't okay..., but maybe they... were waiting for him to open up.
Where had he been to? All this time? He had been "gone" for hours!
Was he just "walking around randomly" with his wand without anyone seeing him? Had anyone seen him? His friends had said he was nowhere to be found...
When he entered the common room, Arabella Astros was with Michael Salinger on the couch. Sallinger was injured, his lip cracked and he looked utterly furious.
"He's crazy, Bells! He was the one who cast a spell on me out of nowhere! Aggressive, out of control, that's just intolerable. Tomorrow maybe, I'll do something. My dad knows a lot of bad things about his father, I can trash-talk his beloved dad, the great Norman O'Neill may not be as great as people say," said Salinger with a mischievous and cruel expression, loudly.
"You know a lot, Sal! I would like to know as much as you do," Arabella seemed impressed by her boyfriend's knowledge of everything from gossip to… abilities to know things in order to be able to trash-talk others' parents.
"Oscar attacked me and even dared to threaten me and my father, he's crazy. Why did he do that? I told him I didn't have that damn letter, then he called me a prick and attacked me anyway!"
Oscar suddenly came out of the dorm, angry, his face red. He saw Albus, Lukas still held his arm, helping him.
"Come with me, please, for a second!" He told, annoyed.
"It's almost curfew," reminded Edmond, diplomatically.
"I don't give a fuck, time to talk, Potter," Oscar said, aggressive, seeming ready to use his wand. The common room was practically empty now. He threw an aggressive look at Sallinger, who threw him a very ugly look in retribution.
"You okay with that?" Asked Yato, looking at Oscar carefully.
"You are hurt," pointed out Lukas.
"Let's talk, Oscar." Better to solve it as soon as possible. He wanted to talk things out with the boy and possibly solve it as soon as possible.
He had to worry about the man in the well…
Suddenly he felt nauseous..., just thinking about the man in the well made him feel uneasy.
"I want to talk with you later, too," Yato whispered to Albus mysteriously.
"Okay," Albus agreed. He didn't know about what Yato wanted to talk with him about, but maybe… the friend had noticed something. Yes! Please, someone, notice that something is terribly wrong! Someone notice..., while I am forced to pretend everything is perfectly fine.
But.. weren't you doing this before? How is that different from before? Weren't you trying to ignore your problems-
Maybe he would discover on his own the problems' nature. He wished Yato did so…
And wasn't Lukas suspicious too?
Edmond seemed worried, could he perceive some strange undertones?
He would have to rely on his friend's intuition, it would be the only way.
He and Oscar went outside. He stumbled a bit across the hall, as he was a bit dizzy. Walking straight was difficult.
"I'm sorry, Oscar. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have read it," his voice was pathetical, shaky.
(Man in the well, man in the well, I can only think about him now! Focus, focus!)
(Let's be Oscar's friends!)
(This all seems pointless now… you're being haunted by the man in the well. Pointless. Your school life is—)
(Friends are never pointless!)
"Oh, now you feel sorry for me. I don't know what's holding you back, Potter, go tell the whole castle! Or, wait, just tell Salinger everything! I thought all day and I really can't find the reason why you're playing the good boy. Do you pity me? Do you find me pathetic now?!"
Why did Oscar think he would tell what was written in the letter?! It was personal. He was in the wrong for having read that. but… with the man of the well's problem, the one with Oscar seemed much smaller, far less significant.
Was he being insensitive?
Suddenly he felt bad.
Oscar might be having some problems concerning his father, and all he could think about were his own problems?! A bit selfish, wasn't it?!
Was he selfish? Insensitive? Uncaring?
He wanted to cry.
Sad and afraid. And… maybe a bit annoyed.
He had bigger problems now! The man in the well! But he needed to talk with Oscar and-
His head hurt so bad, he couldn't understand his own feelings.
Was he under Fidelius charm? No…, he felt it was something a type of magic only the man in the well knew about.
And… couldn't his friends not hear? Or was it something else? What were the modus-operands of this magic?!
Concerning Oscar... was he being Insensitive to Oscar? To Oscar and his problems? He had to help Oscar, he had to help people. He—
Anger.
Anger?
His emotions were so confused and mixed he couldn't comprehend what he was feeling exactly.
"Why would I do that?! You are the one who hated me from day one, not the other way around!" Why couldn't Oscar understand that? He was trying to understand Oscar, he always tried to understand everyone, but why the boy didn't try to understand him? He had problems too! He had-
(Stop being so selfish!)
But was he being selfish? Shouldn't he care about his own well-being?
(Do you think you matter more than others? Do you-)
Maybe the problem was my sense of self-worth... Do I value myself? Do I respect my feeling and limits? Am I being too harsh on myself? He thought, troubled.
His emotions were diffuse and confused, not even he understood what he was feeling.
"You are lying to me saying you're not going to tell them! I'm not stupid, Potter."
"I'm not going to tell! I have no reason to do that! I want to be your friend," Oscar's expression was unreadable.
"Aren't you even going to try to blackmailing me?" He asked, aggressively, a dead serious look on his face.
"O-of course not! We are children, not murderers, killers, or something! This is not the mafia… I don't go around blackmailing people! This is ridiculous!" He was shocked. Blackmailing?! Who would do that with an eleven-year-old?!
What world did Oscar live in?!
Why did he think everyone was after him?!
"Well, you never know. What's stopping you from blackmailing me, huh?"
Albus was quiet for a while.
"That would be just… mean."
"People are mean. The world is mean. Everyone is mean," stated Oscar, as if it was obvious.
"B-But… even Eli?!" He spoke.
"Eli is different." It was all he said.
Suddenly (and surprisingly) he got up and took a piece of parchment.
"Write some secret about yourself," he said in a neutral and intriguing tone.
"What?"
"That way, none of us will say anything," he said simply. When Oscar approached him, he realized he was, indeed, very different from Sallinger... maybe it was his eyes, a sadness hidden behind the frigidity. Something deeper. Maybe there was a warmth there..., somewhere. Maybe too deep to find..., but it was there.
"Don't you believe me? I'm not going to tell!" He insisted.
He wanted to be Oscar's friend…, but puzzlingly now he wanted to punch him! Maybe he was just too nervous.
"The last time I believed someone-" he stopped suddenly, "I don't believe in people anymore, people suck," he said darkly.
"What about Eli and your fath-" He tried.
"Shut up." He saw, for a brief second, his looked grew "warmer", more gentle when he mentioned Eli, but then deeply sad when Albus talked about his father.
He sighed. He had to write a secret.
He could lie.
You lie a lot, Albus Severus Potter. You're a liar, he thought bitterly for a moment.
He would feel really bad if he lied.
He had read Oscar's letter; it had been wrong.
So, he didn't lie this time.
He told Oscar about his memory loss concerning last year, about his tremors and some other occurrences, talked about his perceived inability to play Quidditch, about his anxiety…
It was all too personal, private, intimate.
He wrote it all and gave it to Oscar.
The boy read it quickly and then burned the paper with a spell (he already knew that kind of spell…, it seemed kind of advances for a first-year!).
"Okay. I won't say if you don't." He was ready to leave.
"W-Wait…"
"What?!"
"Why you don't like me, since—"
The boy stopped for a while, Albus couldn't see his face well, it was dark.
"Because… you are nothing special, Potter. You are nothing," he seemed angry, but not angry at Albus puzzlingly. He seemed angry at himself, "I can't stand my father searching for you for a whole year, no pauses, barely coming home, pushing me away, forgot about my birthday, let me alone for Christmas, alone!" He seemed on the verge of tears. But recomposed for a moment, he looked at Albus, his eyes unfocused and just… sad. Depressed.
"Then when I remembered him, he said "Oh. I forgot because it doesn't matter, Oscar. I'm not happy you were born. Why don't you try to make me happy and do something useful for me?" Why does he search for you when he abandons me," he was crying now, sobbing.
And then…, he looked suddenly panicked, as if he just revealed something that he shouldn't have revealed!
"Oscar…"
"Shut up!" He exploded suddenly, losing control, his face was furious "Just don't you dare talk about any of that with someone! I'll kill you. It's not his fault. It's mine. I'm not being a good son. I'll try to be better! It's my fault mom—" He stopped himself in time, he seemed too overwhelmed, he had to breath deep before he continued, "and now he hates me, but I deserve it, so don't go meddling in other people's business. I don't need your help. You are nothing," he stated.
So many problems…
Albus just wanted peace…
Why couldn't he have some peace, love, and understanding?
He spent time alone in the hallway thinking about his problems, he wanted to sit there, slide through the wall, and cry.
Oscar had gone in an indefinite direction, maybe he was trying to calm down before entering the common room, but he would soon have to come back. Almost curfew.
Albus entered the common room. His friends had informed him that Patris had fixed the mirrors very quickly, they had told Patris that it had been an accident, an explosion of unexpected magic. They didn't want to call a teacher, because they were more worried about finding Albus.
Albus must have been looking very tired because his friends said he should get some sleep.
He would.
He... just needed to look at his neck in the mirror.
Just to see if—
...
Bad idea.
...
He saw it. Suffocated a scream.
...
A bite mark on your neck. Vampire. He…
On his arms too. More bite marks that bled. Sore, swollen.
The most painful one was the mark on his neck. If he showed it to someone...
They could see the blood, but—
Albus tried to show the nasty bite wound to his friends, but they said there was nothing there.
Man in the well…
He felt overwhelmed and defeated.
Drained. His blood flowed from his neck.
The vampire had not only taken his blood.
A spiritual vampire.
Took his hopes and left only the cold.
Who could provide him warmth and hope?
At least tonight, some of his dreams were "empty", void of any meaning, and the emptiness was better than the nightmarish dream world's black immensity.
At least, for a very brief moment, he dreamed of Scorpius..., he didn't know why he had dreamed about the boy, maybe it was his mind trying to make him relaxed, to give him some relief, even if it was only a dream.
He dreamed that Scorpius and he played with Mr. Orous Raven's guinea pig on the grass, a dream so innocent, but so good.
His friends and his family were in the dream too. They were having a huge party in the sun, away from the cold.
Kind of silly... but better than dreams about those horrible things that came from the Beyond.
Albus Severus Potter, you're a fighter, he thought upon waking up, feeling determined for some reason.
Maybe it was the sun that shone, powerful, out there.
Despite the cold, tomorrow the sun rises.
Despite you, tomorrow will be a new day.