Chapter Four: A Terrible Mistake
A couple weeks passed and Dorrin was finally getting used to the way things worked around Hogwarts. Her species had a unique style of learning--whatever they learned, they did it fast. She soon knew her way around the castle like the back of her hand, and she picked up on the speech patterns of the other kids in a matter of days. Dumbledore had been right; you must interact with humans in order to act like one.
The day of the first Gryffindor Quidditch match was unusually cold. The northerly winds had picked up early in the season and had been blowing full-force the night before the game. Dorrin put on practically every item of clothing she brought with her--her body was not used to cold temperatures. When everyone filled in to the stadium, Nigel and Helena invited her to sit with them. To her, it was freezing outside. Nigel and Helena, however, wore light jackets, and exchanged odd looks with one another at the sight of Dorrin's attire.
"Are you really that cold that you had to put on your entire wardrobe?" asked Helena.
"I am from Australia, remember? My blood starts to freeze at a higher temperature than yours. Does it get even colder than this?"
"Much," said Nigel, as Dorrin snuggled a little closer to him. Helena frowned.
While the match was taking place, Nigel explained all the basics of Quidditch to Dorrin. Despite looking interested, she still thought it silly that these humans zoomed through the air on brooms. The only interesting thing about the match was watching Blaine interact with his team. He was the seeker and a wonderful captain. Chase was on the team also. As one of the team's Chasers he gained most of the points that lead to their eventual victory. It wasn't a very exciting match at all. In fact, after just forty minutes of playtime Gryffindor crushed Hufflepuff 230-20. No one was really surprised.
That afternoon the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher--Professor Julimore--decided to hold a special dueling course specifically geared toward the type of spells one might use if they were followers of the Dark Arts. Grant Julimore was a nice enough fellow; he was fair but strict when need be, but generally interesting to interact with. The class was lead down to one of the dueling classrooms located on the third floor. The curtains were thrown back and the afternoon sun poured through the pains and drenched the room and everything in it. To their most unfortunate surprise, when they entered the room, Professor Snape stood waiting, tapping his foot impatiently. The room became darker as the harsh realization crept upon the students--Professor Julimore had asked him to help with the lessons.
"Well of course, who better to show examples of Dark Arts spells then the guy who used to be a Death Eater himself," a fellow classmate muttered as they laid their eyes upon the insufferable teacher. Just as they finished filing in the room, a sharp pain hit Dorrin in her ears. A horrifying thought struck her--she had forgotten her tonic. She quickly fumbled under her robes for her pouch filled with her potions, but to her dismay, it wasn't to be found. She had left it on her dresser that morning because she was late getting up and was rushing to get to her first class. Another sharp pain hit her while Professor Julimore was explaining what they were about to learn. Dorrin didn't even realize her name was being called until the whole class was looking at her.
"Miss Chambers, I asked if you would care to be a volunteer for a demonstration?" asked an annoyed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"I'm so sorry. Yes, of course, I would love to help." Shaking violently now, the girl stepped slowly onto the platform and stopped when she realized her opponent was none other than the Potions Master.
"Don't worry my dear," said Professor Julimore, noticing her eyes grow wide, "your safety is in our best interest. This is just a demonstration." It looked as though Snape thought otherwise. He had his wand raised and his eyebrows turned down in a scowl. Dorrin was still trembling, and the soreness in her ears had become unbearable. Everything seemed so much louder and brighter. A loud rumbling hit her like a train as Professor Julimore spoke.
"Don't forget your wand, Miss Chambers."
She fumbled with her robes, trying desperately not to show her distress. When she finally found her wand, she pointed it at Snape, who was smiling a most devious smile.
"Now that we are ready," Julimore began again, "Professor Snape here will now kindly remind everyone how to disarm your opponent."
"Expelliarmus!" Snape shouted as he hurled his spell toward the girl. In one swift motion Dorrin's wand flew out of her hand and into the wall adjacent to the platform. It wasn't like she ever used it anyway, but the shear force Snape had used against her wished she had it just to imagine that it would protect her. She jumped back, dizzy and in terrible pain. The world was falling away beneath her feet and any moment now....
And then it happened. Things started to become clear again, very clear. Her muscles tensed as they contracted, and she could feel her body start to coil. There was no stopping it. She took several steps back--hoping that no one was noticing the change--when she bumped into a wall. Behind her were two swords crossed above the Hogwarts shield. She looked back at the Professor, who was prepared for his next attack. Her instinct took over, and as his spell hurtled toward her, she took hold of one of the swords. It was heavier than what she was used to, but not heavy enough that she couldn't maneuver it. She flipped through mid-air to avoid the spell and threw the blade at Snape. When she landed the whole class was staring, dumbfounded. Professors Snape and Julimore were in utter shock. Dorrin stood up gradually, still dazed and in a trance. She finally gathered her emotions and ran toward Snape, who was pinned to the wall through his robes.
"I'm, I'm...so sorry P-p-professor S-snape," she stuttered as she removed the sword—which had landed only an inch or so above his shoulder. "I don't know w-what I-I was thinking." She took one look at the weapon in her hand and dropped it on the floor. It sounded like an atomic bomb inside the silenced room. She grabbed her face and ran out before anyone could speak to her. How could she have been so foolish to let this happen? Had anyone noticed the change? Perhaps not. But the way her attitude changed...ugh, it was going to be a long rest of the day.
