A Subtle Obsession
By: Twisted Mister
Chapter: 6
"Its a werewolf...run!" Quigley shouted as he felt the blood draining from his face. Bellatrix didn't move, she was frozen in terror. "Move your ass!" He shouted in her ear, finally regaining her senses, she took off in a dead sprint towards the castle with Quigley close behind Carwyn heard the four legged monster gaining on them fast, they didn't have a chance outrunning it.
Carwyn pointed his wand over his shoulder and shouted. "Reducto!" He heard a loud bang as the spell hit the beast, it let out a whimper and continued chasing them as if nothing happened. Bellatrix couldn't run as fast as Carwyn could, she lost one slipper then the other soon enough she was barefoot. She started slowing down so he grabbed her arm. "Come on we can't slow down, It's almost caught up!" As they reached the steps up to the great oak front doors Bellatrix slipped and fell on her side. The werewolf was seconds behind them. Acting without thinking he put himself in front of her and trained his wand at the beast.
"Stupef-" A great black dog leapt through the air and tackled the werewolf to the ground. As a huge stag galloped behind it, it helped the dog in the melee and pinned the beast with its antlers. Taking no time to look in awe at the scene before him Carwyn helped Bellatrix to her feet and the both of them wrenched open the oak doors and ran for the dungeons as if the devil was at their heels.
"Come on my sweet! Merlin's beard what in the seven hell's is making all that noise?" They heard Flich's wheezing voice echoing from the great hall as they ran through labyrinthine corridors of the dungeons. They were both out of breath as they reached the Slytherin portrait. "Wormwood." They said simultaneously, Quigley followed her through to the common room. When the pair were finally safe in the room they took a seat by the fire which had burnt down to ashes.
After the adrenaline had worn off Quigley felt exhausted, he tried to think back on the events that happened that day. Getting out of the hospital wing, transfiguration, hexing her senselessly, Lily, potions class, their talk by the lake. All of it went through his head at a million miles per hour leaving him confused with a throbbing headache.
Bellatrix hadn't said anything to him yet, she was sitting silently in her chair looking at her hands. "Why the hell was a werewolf inside Hogwarts grounds? My god Bellatrix we barely escaped." He said rubbing his temples. "Maybe it was someone in Hogsmeade that forgot to lock themselves up tonight and got loose" She said tiredly. "Yeah maybe." Carwyn said thinking.
"Your sister Andromeda knows a lot about werewolves, she helped me with an essay on them in third year. I heard she's going to be a healer, I bet she knows all about dark creatures and curse bites. Perhaps she knows who it is, the healers may have let her examine a few nearby maybe there is one in Hogsmeade." Bellatrix darkened at the mention of her sister. "I don't like her she likes that Ted Tonks more than her own family." An awkward silence stretched between them, as she avoided his gaze.
"I saw her on the first day of term, I wonder how she is doing. Have you talked to her recently?" Carwyn said trying to get her to open up. "No I haven't. She is probably too busy laying up with that filthy mudblood, I guess she can't find the time to talk to me or Narcissa." Bellatrix her voice thick with emotion. Carwyn frowned and scolded himself about bringing it up.
"Do you want to be friends?" He felt himself say, the question that had been burning in him sense their little talk. She looked surprised for a second and looked away. "I don't know…..I don't know what to say….. I don't think we should."
Carwyn felt anger burn white hot inside him, before he knew it he was on his feet looking down on her. "You don't know what to say? How about sorry for how you viciously attacked me? Or a thank you for saving your life tonight!" Her face twisted into scowl as she glared up at him. "Save me? As if. I shouldn't have even followed you down there in the first place, you really think that we are friends now? What do you think you are entitled to me? Like how that mudblood Tonks feels entitled to my sister. How pathetic."
He heard his heartbeat thrumming in his eardrums, he had never been so angry in his entire life. "Oh and I thought you had actually changed for once, and that you felt bad about what you've done to me. It was stupid of me to think that we could get along. The truth is your an evil little bitch and you always will be!" Bellatrix gripped her nightgown so hard her hands shook. "You want an apology mudblood? Like the little heartfelt one you gave me, well guess what? I don't regret it, you deserved it! I would never want to be your friend. Never!" She said harshly finally standing up. He looked at her for a long moment his chest heaving. "If this is how its going to be then fine!" Turning on the stop he walked to his dormitories without saying another word.
That night he slept restlessly thinking about what she had said. 'I thought we made some progress, I've done a lot for her. I lied to save her skin, I apologized when I hurt her and when I extended the olive branch, she threw it back in my face. It was foolish to think that we could have been friends, I'm staying as far away as I can from now on. She has dragged me down all my life, its time I get rid of her.'
If she could sum up the last month in one word it would be "horrible." Never had Bellatrix felt so lonely, downtrodden, and frustrated. She had been stupid, no she had been a complete idiot. The fight between her and Quigley started it all, they had said some pretty nasty things to each other. Most of the stuff she had said was out of spite. The mention of her sister and her boyfriend had lit a fire inside of her….then when he asked if she wanted be friends,. She thought of Andromeda and her mudblood lover. Bellatrix didn't know what she would do if her family disowned her for associating with a mudblood. It was like her mind was telling her no but a small voice inside her protested, telling her to say yes. But her instincts took over, she couldn't stop herself.
Lashing out at him, saying all kinds of things, like that she didn't regret attacking him and that she never wanted his friendship. As the words left her mouth she knew that they were lies, but as anger surged through her she didn't care. Bellatrix stormed down to the dorms absolutely furious, angry tears spilling out of her eyes. No sleep was to be had that night.
Even worst from that day onward Quigley totally ignored her. If she was close enough he wouldn't look at her, if she was far away his eyes would just pass over her. Bellatrix didn't like the silent treatment so after a few days she tried to start a conversation with him in DADA but to no avail he acted like no one said anything. Mr. White their DADA teacher separated them when they were to practice defensive magic, he didn't want a repeat of what happened last time. She devised another method. Thinking if he was caught off guard then he would definitely respond out of surprise.
When Quigley made his way to classes sometimes she would jump out and say something, stubborn as ever he would act as if Bellatrix was a stone pillar and just go around. One time when he was talking to Dirk she butted in the conversation hoping that he would slip up and say something to her, Dirk looked startled, Quigley simply said. "See ya later Dirk." and walked away as if she never interrupted.
Bellatrix had been furious when she found out that Lily Evans was his partner in potions. She often heard the both of them laughing or talking together, as they brewed their potion. Bellatrix had nearly lost it one day, when she saw Lily's hand pressing down on his as they smashed Sopophorus beans with the flat of a silver knife. 'I'll kill that little ginger bitch if its the last thing I do!' She thought as the fires of jealousy burned within her.
For a little while she restored back to her old ways, calling him names whenever she saw him. But she quit soon enough as it didn't have any effect. Bellatrix had gotten some bad news from home, her dad Cygnus Black was taken to St. Mungos for accidental poisoning, her father had gotten so drunk one night, he had mistaked a poison for firewhisky. He is in critical condition and there is no telling when he will recover. A week ago the dark lord and his followers burned down a muggle orphanage. Bellatrix and Narcissa had been given the news in advance via their crazy mother Drucella who wrote both of them a little note commenting on the dark lords "triumph."
Bellatrix had spoken with Narcissa about Quigley multiple times, when she told her about the fight Narcissa had sounded disappointed. "Are you kidding me Bella?….You gave me the impression that you wanted him to warm up to you." She put her head in her hands as if explaining something to a child. "Calling him a mudblood and telling him that you don't want to be friends tends to have the totally opposite effect." Bellatrix hung her head. "I know Cissy I was just really angry, he mentioned Andromeda and I kinda lost it. Recently he's been ignoring me, I think he hates me." Narcissa looked at her with pity. "Oh Bella..He doesn't hate you, don't worry he'll come around."
It was Halloween, all of the students got out of class early today to enjoy the feast that would be held that night. Bellatrix was wandering outside alone, the sky was cloudy. The trees of forbidden forest cast long dark shadows onto the Hogwarts grounds, as the wind rustled their branches they came to life, forming sinister shapes. The weather reflected Bellatrix's mood. So she decided to take a trip through the greenhouses, there were always pretty flowers and sweet smelling plants inside them year-round.
As she made her way over to the greenhouses, she spotted that great oaf Hagrid from afar harvesting unusually large pumpkins in his front garden. It seemed like he was speaking to someone intermittently while toiling away. When the giant man moved to the side she finally saw who it was, Quigley and his little first year friend. They had their sleeves rolled up, the boy was trying to lift up a massive pumpkin that didn't budge. Turning away she heard Quigley and Hagrid laugh at the boy.
Warm air issued from the greenhouse as she entered. A flowery scent wafted her way, as she wandered through the shelf's stopping to look at the rows multi-color flowers and strange exotic plants. Picking a tulip and placing it in her hair she went further into the greenhouse. Bellatrix heard someone humming in the distance, she made way towards it feeling more curious than apprehensive.
As she past a tank full of freshwater plimpes, a girl finally came into view. She had dirty blonde hair, her eyes shone like silver, but they had a distant look about them. Her clothes were covered in dirt, Bellatrix could barely make out the Badger insignia of Hufflepuff house on the mud stained robes. The girl looked up when she noticed that Bellatrix was watching her. "Hello.. It's funny seeing other people in here, most don't like getting dirty." She said in a dreamy voice as she ran a muddy hand through her blonde locks staining them a shade darker. Bellatrix felt confused. "Have we met before, who are you exactly?" The girl looked at her causally and said. "I'm Pandora Sailwind, you probably haven't met me before. I spend most of my time here in the greenhouses. You don't really look the sort that likes to garden." Pandora said distantly.
"I'm Bellatrix Black, no I don't really like to much. I stopped taking Herbology after last year." She said looking away from Pandora, who was holding her gaze uncomfortably long. "I know your sister we are in the same year. She volunteered to be my partner once, that was nice of her." Pandora said smiling vaguely. "Yeah.." Bellatrix said feeling awkward. "You came in here today to look at some flowers to cheer yourself up. I'm the same way whenever I feel down…. I come here, it's kind of like how eating chocolate makes you happier."
Bellatrix was surprised. You wouldn't think that Pandora would be so perceptive, most of the time it seemed as if she was staring off into space. There was something weird about her though, but not in a bad way. Bellatrix had the impression that her silvery eyes could see through anyone and read them like an open book, but not in a judgmental way. She was a far cry from the people that she was used to hanging out with. Bellatrix couldn't put her finger on it but there was something about her that she inherently liked.
"So what are you doing?" Bellatrix asked her, just noticing the necklace of tamales around her neck. "Oh, I was just harvesting freshwater plimpes out of the tank over there." Her silver eyes drifted to the aquarium filled with ugly little green fish that had legs like a frog. "I need them for the gilly-weed I'm growing. They eat all the slime that builds up on it." Bellatrix looked at the plimpes warily. "Do you want me to show you how to harvest them?" Pandora asked her calmly. "Uh sure…. That would be fine." Pandora bounced on her heels and said excitedly. "Okay come over here, whenever you grab them make sure to watch their legs they like to kick."
Bellatrix was afraid of the plimpes at first, but Pandora's words of encouragement helped her to relax. The two of them worked for a few hours until it was time to leave for the feast. Bellatrix was happy that she had finally found someone that felt like a real friend.
Carwyn entered the great hall for the Halloween feast, he said farewell to Dirk and took a seat at the Slytherin table. The great hall was decorated beautifully, a swarm of live bats screeched and flapped above. Great big jack-o-lanterns smiled eerily down at him, shooting stars shot past the enchanted ceiling. As everyone took their seats, Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome one, welcome all to this truly enchanting Halloween feast. I hope your minds are filled and your stomachs empty, I daresay the opposite may be true by the time you leave. Tuck in." Dumbledore threw his beard over his shoulder and sat down as dishes of delicious food appeared before them.
Quigley was pretty hungry after helping the gamekeeper, he ate his fill and grabbed his schoolbag. He pulled out a book, that has fascinated him for sometime. It was an ancient book on Slavic Sorcery, a few translation charms and it was made legible. Too be honest it was one of the most influential books he had ever read. A little bit over a month ago he had found it in the library. Inside the yellowing pages he had found a treasure trove of insight and forgotten lore.
The text said that one of the most powerful spells in the world a magi could cast to protect himself from his foes was something called the spell of silence. Magic is the change of reality in accordance with the Will. The will manifests through pure streams of energy, the more energy you feed something the more powerful it becomes. This is why the greatest of wizards avoid giving out their energy, and battle only as an absolute last resort. The spell of silence is something so simple that some may think that it isn't magic at all. If you have an enemy or someone you want out of your life, you blow out the candle or flip the switch as the muggles would say.
You ignore them, you don't speak to them, you don't look at them if you can help it. You do not speak to them. You don't even say their name instead you call them a nickname in your head that you don't share with anyone else. He had given her the nickname Medusa, because her hair looked like a ball of black snakes and she was about as nice as one. In essence this stops the flow of mental, psychic, and physical energies that these people feed off of you. This is not a cowardly act the book stated seriously, it is a tactical retreat, so that a sorcerer may save guard their valuable life force.
In the olden days folks would curse each other not with wands, but with words. Magic and sorcery are poetic in nature, the people of ago used language to cast spells. The darker of these spells were called curses, and they have the potential to destroy someone completely. Often times families would feud, cursing each other over petty grievances, or be it individuals fighting over love, land, or wealth. Some of these curses were justified, but most weren't. For a curse to work someone has to have caused you a great personal grievance aimed directly at your character, No exceptions. The people that cursed without condition soon had theirs thrown back at them tenfold.
They suffered horribly, until they were torn asunder by the energetic rebound. But the burden wasn't lifted, their children suffered after them and theirs after them. Until the entire family line had been tainted by the curse. This is why the book said curses should never be done, they are too dangerous, but if you do they are to be used only as a last resort. This is why most witches and wizards casted curses on their deathbeds. If the curse rebounds they are already basically dead so they didn't have to worry about the consequences. Curses more often than not pass from parent to child, and on down the family line until the whole family is known as unlucky. Its a high stakes game and if you don't play your cards right you can lose it all.
Quigley didn't necessarily hate her, he just needed her out of his life. Even though he had justification for a curse, the thought never crossed his mind. She had tortured him for a long time, but it wasn't worth hurting innocent people in her family just to get back at her. So he chose the option of silence, Merlin was it working wonders for him. A few days after their fight she tried talking to him, Quigley laughed to himself as he remembered the look of irritation on Medusa's face when he acted like he didn't hear her. She got even more frustrated and said. "Are you deaf Quigley? I'm talking to you!"
Medusa had grown more desperate as the days turned into weeks. She would often pop up out of nowhere and randomly try to start a conversation with him. Even going to the lengths of butting in to a conversation he was having with Dirk, probably in hopes to catch him off guard. He simply ignored her and walked away. For the past couple weeks she had not tried any of her tactics, she just went about her business. Carwyn was glad that the spell was working.
Great platters full of sweets and candies appeared after the main course was finished, Carwyn didn't feel like eating anymore so he waited for the feast to end. He was among the first to leave the great hall, he wanted to go to the library but he decided not to as it was already pretty late. As he was making his way down the stairs to the dungeons, he heard a voice behind him. "Hey! Wait!" Carwyn turned around to see a girl standing at the top of the steps.
She wore a small bonnet on top of her head and out of it spilled light brown hair. "Yes?" Carwyn said. "Oh hey… I saw you at the feast sitting by yourself. I don't think we've met before so I just wanted to say hi." Her face was tinged pink. He was confused. 'All kind of people have seen me sitting by myself and none of them have ever bothered to come up and approach me like this? How strange.'
Carwyn went up a few steps near her and held out his hand. "I'm Carwyn Quigley, its nice to meet you." The girl took his hand beaming. "I'm Emily Chambers pleasure meeting you." He stood to the side as a group of Slytherin's made their way down the stairs. "I don't recognize you, what year are you in?" Emily smiled and said. "It's my Fifth year, I'm in Ravenclaw." He pressed closer to the wall as the stairway became more crowded. "I'm in Slytherin..." "Oh that is so cool!" Emily said her voice a bit muffled out by the crowd. Carwyn didn't know what to say. "I'll see ya later then." He had to almost yell over the voices. Barely hearing her goodbye as he made his way towards the common room.
Bellatrix met up with Pandora after the feast in the entrance hall. "Hey Bellatrix, are your hands still stinking from the Plimples? I invented a charm that can freshen them up. Give me your hands." Bellatrix looked at her with apprehension, but she presented them to her all the same. Pandora flourished her wand through the air and said. "Rhododenra." A floral scent filled the air immediately after she casted the spell. Bellatrix sniffed her palms. "Wildflowers. Amazing" She exclaimed. "You like it? I invented it after I had been shoveling dragon dung for a whole week in the greenhouses. The smell stuck to my skin and everyone was avoiding me more than usual, it was a difficult process. But at least I can say I haven't used a dash of perfume sense." Bellatrix was amazed at her skill, she had always heard that spell creation was a dangerous process.
"Do you want to go to the common room with me for a little while until curfew?" Pandora asked airily. Bellatrix gaped at her for a second and said. "Uhh, Sure am I allowed to go?" Pandora grabbed her by the elbow and led her to a staircase adjacent from the one that led down to the dungeons. "Yes, guests may enter the Hufflepuff common room as long as they are back by curfew. All the other houses have to ask for permission to have visitors. We don't" Bellatrix had never been down this passage before. They passed a painting of a giant fruit bowl, the passage hit a dead end as they stopped in front of a great circular door that looked like it belonged in a wine cellar.
"Mandrake" Pandora said as the huge door slid open, revealing a large circular room. Bellatrix looked around awestruck as they entered the room. The vibrant colors of yellow and black were everywhere, clashing with her eyes. Round windows looked out onto the Hogwarts lawn, potted plants filled with all sorts of flowers hung from the ceiling. The room felt very cozy and comfortable, as if it was a large bedroom. Some of the Hufflepuffs looked over at them as they entered but they didn't seem interested, they must get a lot of visitors.
Pandora led Bellatrix to a couch nearby, where the two of them sat near a couple of boys playing chess. "How do you like it." Pandora said turning to her. "It's so different. The Slytherin common room is so dark because it is under the lake. Sometimes really scary looking creatures stare at you through the windows, the environment isn't as casual as it is here." Pandora listened to her with rapt attention. "Oh really. Do you ever she grindylow's? I've always wanted to catch one, I hear if you train them they can be good pets."
Both of them talked for the better part of an hour. Bellatrix was having such a good time, in the Slytherin common room you could never relax. It was like being at the court of a king, one wrong word and off with your head. All the Hufflepuffs were nice to her, which was a far cry from her housemates. It had been almost time for curfew when Bellatrix heard an all too familiar voice from the direction of the entrance.
Bellatrix turned her head and saw her sister Andromeda with Ted Tonks holding hands walking into the common room. She looked away quickly and lowered her head, hoping her sister didn't see her. "What's wrong." Pandora asked her noticing her odd behavior. "Don't look now but that's my sister." "Oh I'm so stupid… I should have known, I've been wondering why a Slytherin has been staying in our dorms. She looks so much like you. You'll have to tell me the story later." Thankfully for Bellatrix, Andromeda and Ted went straight to the dormitories and did not notice her. "It's time I should be getting back. Thanks for showing me the common room Pandora, I really like it here." Bellatrix said standing up to leave. "Oh it's no problem Bellatrix. Do you want to meet in the greenhouses tomorrow?" Pandora said smiling. "Sure I'd love too and you can call me Bella if you like. Bellatrix sounds way to formal to me." "Okay see you later Bella." The girls waved goodbye to each other, Bellatrix left the common room making her way back to the dungeons.
Carwyn was sitting in his four poster with the curtains drawn, he was reading the book on Slavic Sorcery by wand light. The nature of sleep and the magic of dreams is a process that still remains largely unknown. But we do know for certain a few things about their process. We know that dreams are symbolic in meaning and are a kind of dialogue between the conscious mind and the subconscious. This creates a kind of feedback loop inside of the individual, giving insight into personal matters. This is why the book stated, that having a dream journal was of utmost importance for the up and coming sorcerer.
Why is three am known as the "Witching hour." All magic is in a sense is scientific and the magic three am is no exception. Between the hours of three and four am the sun is completely on the other side of the planet, meaning that you are as far away from the sun at this hour as you possibly can be. The earths magnetic field slowly decreases as you approach these hours, around three thirty or three thirty three you enter a kind of transitional phase or a "Twilight Zone." This is when the earth's magnetic field is not effecting you at all, after these few minutes the magnetic field starts to grow stronger again.
People often have nightmares or are attacked by night hags during this window in time. To put it simply the veil of reality flips during these few minutes, and it is possible to enter into different states of reality or other realities can enter into yours. The same can be said about the earth's movement around the sun, equinoxes and solstices are the planets "witching hour." as three am is to us. This is why the pagans had feasts and preformed rituals on these dates, Walpurgis, Midsummer, Samhain, and Yule. During these days the veil of reality is parted slightly, new potentials and energetic forces are able to realized.
The text also said that in our dreams we sometimes get a glimpse into the future. This confused Carwyn 'Are dreams like Divination?' This is where our knowledge of dreams becomes muddled, the book said. While we are sleeping it seems that our consciousness somehow projects itself into the future and we are able to watch events that haven't happened yet take place. If you do not believe this to be true, record your dreams for six months and then read them. Dear reader you will realize that many of the so called mundane dreams you had, foreshadowed events that came later in your life or things that happened abroad.
Carwyn closed the old tome, it was late around midnight he guessed. "Nox." He said, the light faded away as darkness flooded in. He closed his eyes, all of the things he read passed through his mind until he had fallen into a peaceful sleep.
'Where am I?" Bellatrix thought. She was blindfolded and her arms were bound tightly behind her. 'Did someone tie me up? I don't know how I got here.' She thought frantically. "Help! Someone Help!" She cried out. But no one answered, her voice carried with the wind. Her feet were cold, she was standing in a puddle of icy water, barefoot. Sunlight streamed in through an opening, so she at least knew it was day time.
Peeking under the blindfold she could see that she was surrounded by something, but what was it? Focusing harder she saw what they were, swords. Huge swords taller than she was, stuck into the ground all around her. Some of them were far away, but most were very close. The steel shining brightly in the sun, with edges honed sharp as razors. Fear filled Bellatrix as she realized what they were. 'If I miss one step, If I slip and fall on one of these. I'm dead." Then suddenly in front of her she heard someones feet splashing in the water walking towards her. A figure dressed in black was pacing towards her menacingly, Bellatrix tried to focus on the face but couldn't it was blurred. As the figure approached mere feet away, she threw herself backwards hoping to put distance between them. The blue sky whirled in her vision as she felt a blade slice painfully into the back of her neck.
Hello Everyone, I hope you enjoyed this new installment. Leave a comment if you like, I'm open to any praise or criticism, whatever you have to say is welcome. Remember to follow to receive regular updates. I'll see you soon. Twisted Mister :P