13 Wednesday

"Queenie Goldstein? That's awesome! Do you know who that is?" Brooke looked at her excitedly, sitting at their table together and eating dinner amidst the clatter of the room.

Noelle turned over the letter in her hands and shook her head. "Should I?" She'd read over the letter several times already. It entailed her upcoming lessons with Queenie and a base description about legilimency, detailing that she had "nothing to worry about."

"You would know her if you paid attention to anything in History. She's a very talented legilimens. It's been said that she never required any training, that it was a natural talent. She's an American too. A Pukwudgie from Ilvermorny School."

Noelle looked at her blankly. "A what?"

Brooke shook her head. "You're crazy you know. Why do you even attend History?"

Noelle laughed and tapped the side of her head. "It never really sticks. That's why I need you to help me study for tests. However, the same stands for your needing me to pass such classes as DADA."

"It's true, I do need you for that. Anyways, she ended up getting engaged to a muggle, which, in America back then, was strictly forbidden. No half-bloods allowed I suppose. She joined forces with a pretty bad guy for awhile because of it too I guess."

"Wasn't the same guy she was marrying was it?"

"No no. Grindelwald."

"Oh yeah… I remember Snape mentioning him yesterday."

"That's the one." Brooke ate a bite of her mac-n-cheese and then got excited again. "I can't believe you can read minds!"

Noelle put a cautionary finger up to halt her cheerleading. "Mind you, I'm untrained as of yet. I can't do anything intentionally."

She shrugged. "Still pretty cool."

Noelle felt the bench tilt on her other side as Kade and Paul sat down. "What're you two talking about?" Paul asked.

Brooke opened her mouth to tell them and Noelle gave her a warning look, cutting her off. She turned back to the boys. "Just talking my battle scars." She held up her arm with its bandages.

Paul nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. "How is that healing by the way?"

"Eh." She shrugged and made a face.

Kade leaned forwards to see her past Paul. "Dungeons and Dragons after dinner, you in?"

Noelle perked up. "Of course! Where is it at today?"

"Somewhere different, abandoned storeroom in the dungeons."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why there?"

He leaned closer and lowered his voice so that Paul had to lean back away from the table and pause in his eating. "As you know, we're not supposed to be outside our dorms too late after dinner. So this allows more freedom."

Brooke said loudly, "Are you two done breaking rules?"

Noelle nodded to Kade and looked at Brooke curiously, noticing she had her ears covered. "What are you doing?"

Brooke uncovered her ears. "As much as I love you guys, you know I can't lie to authority. If they ask me where you guys are past curfew, I'll tell them. I just can't lie."

Noelle rolled her eyes. "And you think I'm weird. I promise we'll be careful."

Noelle shifted, sitting uncomfortably on a wooden chest full of empty potion bottles. She looked at the others, equally seated. "Well this is different." She and Kade were both providing light with their wands.

Azraeyn smiled. "Luckily enough we only have a moment to wait before our uncomfortableness is forgotten."

The door opened and Noelle jumped, expecting to see a teacher. She was relieved when it was only Yori and Faith.

Azraeyn waited for the door to shut and then clapped his hands together and drew his wand. "As I said, only a moment. Let's begin." The room around them melted away and was replaced by a starlit sky, and a grasslands, the tall grass swaying in the wind.

Faith spoke up. "Where are we going today?"

Kade pulled out a map and turned in a circle, judging their location. "Where's the inn we stopped at last time?"

Azraeyn stretched and smiled and Noelle felt her already red-hued skin blush. "The town is just over that rise." He pointed at a hill. "But last I recall we took a quest to find the source of the undead plauging the town. And that will be to the South according to the townspeople." He pointed the opposite direction.

Yori folded his arms. "Well you'd be the one to know wouldn't you?"

Noelle turned in the direction he pointed. "Well? What are we waiting for?" She started walking.

Kade caught up to her, still examining his map. She heard the others fall in behind them.

They walked a ways before spotting a cave, the wind chilling the skin on her exposed arms. She stopped. "There. You think that could be it?"

Azraeyn shrugged and Kade looked at her. "We both know he won't tell us. Let's find out ourselves."

Together the group drew their weapons and entered the cave. Noelle's eyes took a second to adjust but she found she was able to see well in the darkness. The others seemed to have no problem either other than Azraeyn who stayed far in the back with a lit torch in his hand. There was a breeze coming towards them as well as from behind. Did the cave open up on both ends?

Just as she was about to turn and ask, Noelle heard chanting up ahead, a mere whisper on the breeze. She halted and whispered her discovery to Kade who passed it along down the line. They all readied their attacks and rounded the corner.

A tall figure clothed in robes was waving his hands about, magic visible in the air around him, taking on a purplish wispy hue. He turned on hearing them and spoke a few indiscernible words. The ground began to shake and the group reached out, grabbing onto the uneven cave walls for balance.

From the ground came skeletal beings. Noelle imagined they must be similar to an Inferius. She and the others raised their weapons and ran towards the creatures, letting out battle cries when suddenly the world faded from around them and she was staring at the others in their natural forms.

They all heard at the same time the door handle twist and had only seconds to react. Kade and Noelle both whispered "Nox," extinguishing their lights, and everyone jumped into hiding places.

Noelle tried to steady her breathing from behind a crate as the door creaked open. A voice called out into the dark. "Anyone in there?"

She heard a familiar "meow" and knew it was Filch searching for students out past curfew. His footsteps came into the room and she heard a box tilt over before he coughed. "Just dust in here Mrs. Norris. Let's get on." The door creaked shut once more and they all waited a few minutes before lighting their wands again.

"Lumos." Noelle looked into the scared faces of everyone else before they let out nervous laughter.

Azraeyn cleared his throat, smiling awkwardly. "I think that's enough for tonight guys."