Rest

In the way back to the castle, Sev talked to Remus about how he should train the girls. They didn't say anything about Jack and Remus's outing in search of the Pensieve the following night. They must have already discussed it among themselves, it's not necessary.

Since that same afternoon and after all the subsequent training sessions, Jack and Sev would stay for a while in his clearing near the castle, discussing how the day had gone and planning the following week.

Jack suggested, "Since we are not going to practice any more curses, maybe the little ones can come back next week."

"I think we should keep them out of the way for a while, at least until we make sure Ariel can occlude."

"And wouldn't it be suspicious if we miss lunch and they don't?"

"On the contrary, it would be suspicious if you brought them so soon after I joined you," Sev replied.

"Of course…"

"If Ariel is very eager to train, bring him here on Friday afternoon. I will not be there, I reserve that day for myself."

"Of course," Jack said. "But maybe the Gryff girls can come Sunday afternoon."

"That would be nice, if Lupin gives up the morning and comes with them. And they still have time before lunch to come here for the three of them to practice Mental Arts. I'll suggest it when I see them during the week."

"I can also discuss it with him tomorrow."

As I imagined, they have already arranged to go to Hogsmeade, Sev thought. "Brilliant. What time do you think you'll be back? I say this to come bring the books and ward the Pensieve, so you don't even have to bring it home."

"What a good idea Prince. We'll meet after dinner."

Well, eight to ten is plenty of time to get to and from Hogsmeade, and it's the safest time. "Okay, I'll be here at nine. Will you know how to arrive at night? Or I better wait for you on the road?"

"It's not necessary, I'll know how to get there," Jack replied.

How good the Druid Magic is doing for us. "In any case, we still need to know if there is that protective spell that we need. I'll find out today at dinner and Lupin will be able to confirm it for you tomorrow. If there is no such spell, we will have to leave everything at home and bring it every afternoon, we will see in that case how we organize ourselves with the Gryffs."

"Yeah."

"For now, just in case, I'm going to show you one of my invention so you can ward your trunk and not get caught," Sev said.

"Wow, Prince, you have everything under control."

"It is because I have spent my whole life against the ropes."

"True," Jack said.

"So, if there is no spell, we simply don't meet tomorrow and we'll see each other on Monday after school."

"Okay."

Sev taught him the warding spell for the trunk, and afterwards he was explaining to him the first notions of Legilimency. I would let him read me so he could practice a bit, but I might give away that I already know how to occlude.

"By the way, Prince, we've been talking about it and we've had an idea that maybe you don't like."

He's going to ask me to read allies, Sev thought. "Tell me and I'll tell you."

Jack sighed. "We think that it will be difficult for us to get more people from home to accept you right away, it is essential that we do it as soon as possible and we cannot reveal your secret unless we are sure that they will keep it even if they do not join."

Well, it's hard for him... What a mess I've gotten them into. "I already smell what you're going to ask me for, and I'm willing."

"You understand, right? This is an emergency situation."

Indeed... emergency to rescue me. "I will, to the extent that I can," Sev agreed.

"As soon as we learn, we will free you from that obligation. It must not be very nice to find out what they think of you like that." Jack smiled sadly.

"It's okay, I've asked for it. You are already doing enough."

"Don't think that, we should have done it much earlier."

When they finished with their obligations, they still stayed a while longer chatting, already dark, in the light of their Lumos.

"How about Lupin?" Sev asked. "Is he as good a guy as you thought?"

"Wow… he's lovely, I'm so glad I met him."

You too.

"I'm sorry for not being with the girls for a while too," continued Jack. "Is Lily's friend his girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Since last Sunday, when they found out that their Patronuses are twins." Wow… gossip.Who would have said that of me?

"Also!"

"Yes, it's amazing."

"It looks like a plague," Jack said. "Maybe it has to do with the magic of the Forest."

"No, mine and Lily's already were before performing the ritual. I guess it's because we have the same happy memory in common." But Remus' and Cecile's aren't about that... and I can't tell him about it.

"Sure…"

He's getting nostalgic.I' looking forward to ask him about Lauren, but I can't give her away.I'll probe him out, Sev thought."And you, Jack? Surely with your talent and looks you do not lack admirers."

Jack was silent. He's thinking about her.

Finally he swallowed and spoke, "I got hung up on someone on the other side and I can't get her out of my head."

It's Lauren… and he's almost crying.

"Don't tell the others, please…" added Jack.

Sev changed into a confidential tone. "Of course not, Jack, like you about the unicorn, I'll keep your secret." He took him by his shoulders, as Jack had done with him the week before, and his friend gave vent to it. I have to tell him something, give him a little hope so that he can resist until they can be together again. "Sometimes appearances are deceiving, Jack, as it happened with me."

"Impossible…"

Voldemort's sympathicers family. "Come on… There is nothing that love cannot overcome, you already saw what happened to me," Sev continued. "I was a hair's breadth away from becoming a Death Eater and Lily avoided it. Maybe you will rescue her, maybe it happens to her what happens to me and she has to pretend."

"Could be…"

Yeah… "Come on, Jack, hard times lie ahead, but we'll all get through this together."

Jack sighed deeply and collected himself. "Thank you, Prince, I've never been able to tell anyone, but I knew you would understand."

And so much. He returned the brotherly hug Jack had given him the week before.''I'll tell Lauren in the Great Hall today.

As they sat down to dinner he received a sign from Cecile that the weather protection spell existed. And so he did, when he locked eyes with Lauren she projected to him, "All in order at home.Has Jack asked you to read allies?"

If I answer her right away, she's going to stop looking at me and I won't be able to tell her everything else, Sev thought. "Jack has cried for you."

She looked away, Sev chuckling to himself. 'What a scare I have given her, she must be thinking that we have talked about her directly.Nothing, to hunt her down again when she pulls herself together.

Soon, she projected to him without looking at him, "What have you saidto him?"

They looked at each other again, and he replied, "I just probed him, I asked him why he didn't have a girlfriend."

She looked away from him again. "You are worse than Dumbledore, playing matchmaker."

Well, she has believed me and she is taking it humorously.

She spent a long time without projecting. She is already calm in that I have not slipped, but I am sure that she will be curious, she is thinking about what to ask me.

She didn't until the second course. "Did he mention me?What exactly has he told you?"

They looked at each other again, and Sev replied, "He has not named you. He has said, 'I got hung up on someone on the other side and I just can't get her out of my head'."

Sev had to make such an effort not to laugh when he saw her expression of astonishment and excitement, and she immediately stopped looking at him again. She loves him too.She loves us both, as I do with her and Lily.

It passed another while. "Well…" Lauren began. "Thanks for playing as a spy, you'll tell me it in more detail on Monday.And now answer my question, please, do I have to read allies?"

They looked at each other. "Yeah.And tomorrow Jack brings a Pensieve."

"Safely?"

"Absolute," Sev replied.

She stopped looking at him. "Great!What I told you, together you are going to be invincible!I want to know everything!Can you meet tonight?"

He looked at her, but she didn't look at him. "I was kidding, I was kidding…" she continued. "I'll resist until Monday."

Both almost choked with laughter, the snakes around them did not understand the joke. They must be thinking we're going crazy.

That night, like the night before, Sev went to bed right after dinner. And the next day, just like the day before, he woke up very early despite having slept a lot. This system is fine, I like it, because I have the bedroom to myself at bedtime and the Common Room to myself while the others are still sleeping in the morning.When I can afford to stop getting late into bed, I'll always do it this way.

So he was already doing his homework long before breakfast time, in his corner but facing the Lake window, where Lauren used to sit. In addition, I see sunrise through the water of the Lake, I love it.

He had already had plenty of Forest for the previous two days, so in the morning, he continued studying in the Library, also taking the opportunity to look for the weather protection spell. Lily and Cecile haven't come.The Gryffs must be training in my clearing, how nice.

After lunch he took a nap, and when he woke up he went back to the Library. Now they are, it's a pity that we still haven't managed to project to each other from so far away. He signaled to them.

He's already found the spell, Lily thought.

He studied until dinner, managed to finish all his homework, and still had time to spare.

At dinner he projected to Lauren, "I'll leave at a quarter to nine through the greenhouses passageway."

"For the Pensieve?"

"To hide it in the forest with your future boyfriend."

She looked away from him laughing, he barely contained his laughter. They're going to catch us.

"Great… I'll watch out…" she said.

After dinner he locked himself in his canopy to continue studying for a while, and then he slipped out of the castle from the dungeons. On the way back I'll show Jack this passage too, in case we ever have to go out at night.

At nine o'clock he was in his clearing. He cast the heating spell and the Muffliato. He tested the weathering spell on the books, dropping an Aquamenti on them. It worked, like a kind of invisible dome on which the water slipped. It will be necessary to protect them below, but it's easy, we'll put them inside the Pensieve and that's it.

Jack arrived in ten minutes. "Hey, Prince, how was your day?"

"Like a prince, I've slept twelve hours since yesterday."

"How are you capable? Aren't you restless?"

"Of course I am, but precisely because of that, I must be in shape for what awaits us," Sev replied.

"What I told you, made of very stern stuff. Are there results of what I asked you for yesterday?"

"No. Today I have dedicated myself to study."

"Well, normal, you have the OWLs this year," Jack said.

"That is. And I'm preparing two NEWTs."

"Two?" amazed.

"Yeah," Sev replied. "Potions and Defense."

"Wow…"

"Five Outstandings."

"What a mess, Prince."

"Tomorrow I will read what I can and on Tuesday I will tell you something."

"Brilliant," Jack said. "Do you have the spell?"

"Yes, I've already tried it. Did you have any problems on the getaway?"

"Nothing, all in order, and Lupin is already in the castle."

Remus has asked him not to tell me about the passage or the Shrieking Shack so that this topic doesn't come up between us and he can realize that I already know it.And he says 'all in order' like Lauren.They coincide in many expressions, they had much more than a brief fling, they were involved for a long time, Sev thought. "Great. Take out the Pensieve, we'll put the books inside."

They did, in a corner of the clearing. Sev cast the warding spell and tried it again. "Perfect. You got it?"

"Yeah."

Then they Disillusioned them so they wouldn't be seen.

"Well, that's it, we have a Mental Arts classroom," Sev said. "Now everyone to get Outstanding. I'll wait for you tomorrow after school, let me get there first."

"Sure."

"If we get back together now I'll show you how to get in and out of the dungeons safely at night."

"Also?" Jack exclaimed, amazed.

"Of course. The castle is full of passageways." And Remus knows them all, probably more than I do.

"Okay, let's go then."

They came back. When they left the Forest they turned off their Lumos and Jack allowed himself to be guided by Sev to the greenhouses. When they reached the entrance to the passage, Sev let him go first and waited outside for ten minutes Disillusioned. He got home before curfew and went to bed right away.