So, I haven't been on in a while, and I've been swamped with school. I forgot where I was going with this chapter.
Enjoy, and please review!
Joseph ran through the halls, trying to follow the strange aura as closely as he could. It was getting stronger now, radiating within his body like a pulsar wave. He skidded to a stop and looked between two hallways, one leading northwest, and the other leading northeast. He focused for a minute, calling out to the aura, hoping that it was sway whichever way it was supposed to lead him.
It condensed to the left. Northeast.
He took off at a run again, ignoring the portraits that were wakening with the sharp tapping of his sword against his boot calf. He formed a ball of light in his hands and shot it forward. It hovered in the air in front of him, then as he snapped his fingers, it floated behind him.
His shadow was cast, long and thin, down the red carpeted hallway. He felt some relief in knowing that he was no longer running around in the dark. A shadowy figure loomed in front of him, and he slowed to a halt.
"Hello?" He called out. The shadowy figure waited for a moment, and then glided off to the west, down another corridor. Joseph grunted and resumed the chase. The hallway that he was running down had many tall mirrors on one side, and open pillars to the outside world on the other. He also noticed that he could see his breath. It was fucking cold.
He chased after the figure for a good while, almost being winded after being forced to climb three sets of stairs, putting him on the fifth floor, now. He skidded to a halt at a dead end, a large portrait of a person that he didn't know. The figure began to solidify, taking the form of a woman. He couldn't see her face, as it was covered by a veil of some sort.
It stared at him, and he froze. Slowly, out of curiosity, he reached a hand out, eager to move back the veil to reveal the mystery… thing. His heart pounded in his chest. His breathing was irregular, small white wisps forming from the sheer cold. He could feel the lace of the veil, and hesitated slightly. Making up his mind, he grasped it and pulled it back and—
"What are you doing here, Cowles?" A voice said behind him. He let out a startled cry and grabbed the handle of his sword, unsheathing it and holding it outstretched at the intruder's neck. The intruder had drawn her wand, shouting out a surprised "bombarda!". When she realized that it didn't work, and he realized who she was, they both calmed down, taking a few steps backwards, away from each other.
He put his sword back in his scabbard, running a hand through his hair, sighing in relief. Hermione Potter was clutching her chest, as though having a heart attack, chuckling to herself. She touched the side of her neck where his sword had just been, laughing aloud shakily when she realized that it was unharmed. Not even a hair had been cut.
"You scared the hell out of me!" She laughed, taking a knee to steady herself. He only grunted. Feeling is mutual. He thought.
"I apologize." He stated, holding out a hand to help her stand again. She took it, and wrapped her coat tighter around herself.
"What are you doing out here, anyway?" She asked, looking behind him, as she'd arrived to find him holding an outstretched arm. She thought he'd been sleepwalking.
Joseph took a moment to glance behind him. Not to his surprise, the figure had fled the scene. He sighed, and turned back to her.
"There was disturbance… in the… oh, what is word…" He trailed off, trying to think of the right word. He groaned in annoyance with himself. She fought back a giggle at his struggle. He reminded her much of Viktor Krum with his accent and troubles in learning English. Unlike Viktor, Joseph had no trouble pronouncing "Hermione".
"A disturbance? So, you weren't sleepwalking?" She asked. Joseph looked at her blankly, the term "sleepwalking" being unfamiliar. Joseph shook his head.
"I feel something. It is… lonely. Wants help. It is not bad. Just… strange. You do not see or feel?" He asked. Slowly, she shook her head no. He squinted his eyes in thought, and looked away at the floor, crossing his right arm over his left, still in the sling. It probably would be that way forever, now.
"It is gone now. I go back to bed. Goodnight, Mrs. Hermione Potter." He announced, moving past her quietly and making his way back to his bed. He needed to get a shred of sleep so that he could wake up early to train. He needed to get used to being one-armed now.
X
Joseph set his sword down, leaning it against the statue of the old man. He summoned a clone single-handedly, wanting to work on his hand-to-hand combat. It was much more difficult than he'd thought it'd be, especially since he still had the urge to move his left arm. It still hurt to do so, and there was a little bit of function, but not enough to be effective.
He found that he could still wield his sword, but only for a short amount of time before his arm would give in and his hand went numb. He began to spar furiously with the clone, knocking aside punches and side-stepping kicks, jabbing the clone with his palm. The clone jumped back, and went to punch Joseph. Joseph went to block, but missed, as the same shadowy figure from the night before appeared in his peripheral vision, and he turned to it, fearful.
The clone's fist collided with Joseph's cheek and he was sent flying backwards, sliding across the cobblestone. He dismissed the clone and stood, brushing himself off. When he went to look back towards the castle doors, the figure was gone, much to his dismay. He was hoping that he could try to talk to it.
Joseph growled and tucked his disabled arm into the sleeve of his cowl, and snatched up his sword in aggravation, slinging it over his shoulder and storming back inside. If he couldn't train in peace, then maybe he could study in peace.
As he made his way back to the dungeon, Draco, Blaise, Kathryn, and Severus were walking up the stairs. They paused as they met up with each other.
"You cut training short today." Severus mentioned, arching an eyebrow. Joseph slowly nodded, his scowl still plastered on his face. He was tired, and it showed with ease. Joseph looked at Draco, and paled. The shadowy figure was looming behind him, and he felt a glimmer of sadness, an inexplicable ache swelling in his heart.
"I am not well. My head… hurts. It goes boom-boom." He lied, although with the strange emotions spontaneously generating in his chest and the irritation and fear he felt towards the shadowy figure were beginning to give him a severe headache.
Kathryn found herself chuckling at his word-choice to describe his headache.
"You have a headache?" Blaise asked, snickering at the description as well. He'd be laughing about that one for ages.
"Good luck with trial." Joseph muttered. Kathryn slowly nodded, silencing.
"Thank you, Joseph. I hope you feel better." She muttered, pushing past them and walking up the rest of the stairs. Severus followed after a hasty goodbye. Joseph turned, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked down the stairs. The strange thing looming over them was getting on his last nerve.
As soon as he shut the door, he locked it, and cast a silence bubble around the room with a sign of his hand. The shadowy figure was still there, floating above the floor in the middle of the room. He glanced at the mirror behind it, confused when he saw that there was no reflection.
"What you want? What are you?" He barked at it, keeping his distance. The figure giggled at him with a high-pitched girly sound, and floated away, disappearing through the wall. Joseph growled in the back of his throat and set his sword down at the foot of his bed, then flopped onto the mattress, heaving a sigh.
His bed was amazingly comfortable, and it made studying somewhat difficult, as he'd often fall asleep in bed, the quill still in hand. He grabbed his book off of the nightstand and flipped to the last page he'd been working on, unscrewed the cap to the bottle of ink, and began to work on his English once more.
X
Sheeva tapped on the door lightly, rousing Joseph from his slumber. He'd fallen asleep again while sitting up. The quill was dangling from his hand, and his book had fallen to the floor.
"Yes?" He murmured, snapping open his eyes and looking around, somewhat disoriented as he tried to place the time. He crawled out of the bed, his legs slightly wobbly. He swung open the door, and looked down at her.
"Hello, captain." He started, then covered his mouth in a yawn.
"I am going back to Kadessa. There are a few things that I want to research. Would you like to go with me, or would you like to stay here? I am going to ask Kagure for his help as well." She stated. As he looked at her, he realized that she looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes. She must not have been sleeping for the last few days.
"Please. I wanted to return Artix's wedding band, Kalas' headband, and Zakkari's pipe to their families, or loved ones. It's the least that I can do for them." He admitted, motioning towards the dresser beside his bed. Their trinkets were in the top drawer, tucked away to keep them safe.
Sheeva nodded at him, and then turned to leave. Joseph stopped her.
"Captain, are you alright? You look like hell." He asked. She'd helped him out immensely. He wanted to ensure that he could repay the favor. She looked back at him, a hurtful look in her eye. She then shook her head slowly.
"I am just fine, Joseph." She stated. He frowned, giving her a disbelieving look. He sighed, and rolled his eyes, glancing away for a second.
He shuddered as a strange lonely, sadness spread throughout his chest, and quickly he looked back up, looking around. The shadowy figure was back, and he stared at it, eyes widening. She caught his stare, and followed his eyes, looking behind herself.
There was nothing there. She turned back to him, arching an eyebrow.
"What are you looking at?" She asked. He blinked, and looked back at her, frustrated. After his first encounter, he posited that maybe the humans couldn't see it. Just him, and perhaps, Sheeva.
Now he realized he was wrong. It must have only been him.
"Nothing. I'm just… been having nightmares. Of the war." He muttered, a half-truth. He had had a few nightmares, but they were few and far between. He guessed that she was receiving the blunt of the psychological damage, considering her current circumstances.
"We have something called 'dreamless sleep' for that. If you want some, speak with Draco. He should be able to set you up with some." She announced, starting to walk away. She paused, and turned back to look at him.
"Happy Valentine's Day, by the way. It is a human holiday, where lovers and friends express their gratitude towards one another." She muttered, continuing on her way. Her red dress fluttered around her knees, sporting a pair of two-inch heels. Her hair was pulled back in a golden barrette, the thick black curls bouncing as she walked away.
Joseph felt his mouth go dry, and he licked his lips, shaking his head to clear it of the adulterous thoughts in his mind. Not only was she his captain, she was married. He couldn't be thinking such things.
He turned back around and walked back in, shutting the door and climbing back into bed, thinking that maybe he was hallucinating from not sleeping well. Figuring that some well-deserved sleep was in order, he turned off his alarm and pulled the covers over his head and went back to sleep.
Feels good to write again, I'm back in my element.
Ciao, tutti!