Chapter XIX: You break, you pay
Hypnotic, hypnotise.
The blind? His demise.
He silences and impales the soul.
To fight him, make a loud sound.
Note to the Gifts # 13
After being dismissed by her father in front of Eddy, Medusa moved like a ghost through the halls. Her father was aware that she had kissed the teenager, and he had not punished her. No, he had complimented her because he had seen the reasons that had led her to do that in Lee's eyes. Her father wasn't done; she knew that. When he returned from his trip, no doubt her father would have something more venomous to offer her than compliments. Apprehension ripped through her insides.
Trembling, she didn't know where to go. If she went back to her common room now, she would come across all the students who would see what state she was in. Rita would certainly manage to pull word out of her, and this idea did not please her.
Ashamed and mortified, Medusa stepped into the frozen park as the sun slowly set.
No, the person she needed right now was Salazar. Indifferent to the curious glances that certain students gave her, she rushed into the park towards the forbidden forest. Sal had to be there; she had seen him heading for the woods earlier, when she was in the newsroom at Hogwarts Illustrated with Rita. She hoped with all her heart that Salazar was there. As she was about to reach the forest, she saw Arthur Weasley talking with Ludo Bagman from afar. The game against Gryffindor was scheduled for the next day, so she managed to smile a cruel smile at the two young people to hide her feelings and then entered the forest.
She hated these woods; no sooner had she entered them than the darkness seized her. Between the twigs and branches of the long, gnarled trees, the last rays of sunlight were blocked, giving an eerie blue glow to the forest. As she sank deeper and her feet brushed the light, snowy carpet, Medusa felt herself being watched more and more. Only Salazar would willingly go into a forest filled with gigantic spiders and monstrous creatures. The outstretched young woman tried to make out a few things between the dark, twisting masses.
"Sal?" the girl called, trying to give her voice a little poise.
Nobody answered her. After lighting her wand with a lumos, the girl repeated her calls.
"Salazar!?" C-come!"
As she called him, her voice cracked. Like a little girl, she was about to burst into tears. She forced herself to calm down and congratulated herself when noise came from the thickets behind her. It was Arthur Weasley and Bagman who had followed her into the forest. She hid her sobs and glared at them.
"What are you two morons doing here?"
"What are you doing here, Riddle?" Arthur continued calmly, flashing his prefect badge in his chest. "This forest is forbidden and full of spiders. You have nothing to do there."
"Said the prefect who brought a student with him in the so-called forbidden forest and who exchanged saliva with Prewett in this same forest?" Medusa scoffed. "Come on, try to punish me; I have much more incriminating files on you, 'Weasmud'."
Arthur's assured air melted again like snow in the sun, while his comrade Bagman looked ironic.
"I hear Arthur isn't the only one exchanging saliva in this forest. Are you waiting for Lee, Riddle?"
Medusa froze and fiercely hated Eddy in the second. If he couldn't help but bluster, and that was why her father knew about it and she was, in essence, doomed, Medusa would kill him with her own hands.
However, she could not answer; they all heard a loud racing noise. Between the gnarled and icy trees, the noise grew louder, and it only took a few seconds for a blonde centaur from the trees to emerge with Salazar on her back. The two terrified newcomers didn't even try to understand what they were doing there.
"Run!" cried the centaur, and she broke into a triple gallop.
She didn't need to say more; huge spiders the size of ponies emerged from between the trees to attack them. Medusa, Weasley, and Bagman started running after the centaur. Between the icy ground, the twisted roots, and the high, thorny bushes to advance was complicated, but to end up in the stomach of a gigantic spider was a sufficient engine for the young girl, who ran practically at the same level as the centaur. Medusa cast a Containment Charm at one of the creatures as she was about to drive one of her mandibles into Bagman's leg. Weasley helped him free himself quickly, and they leaped out of the woods in a mighty leap. The three spiders tried to follow them but ran into an invisible barrier. Once, twice, thrice the horrible furry creatures tried to attack them, but a transparent wall prevented them from reaching the park. They were relatively safe as the disgruntled spiders wandered into the darkness of the forest.
Sal quickly got off the centaur's back and looked genuinely furious.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you…The two idiots followed me," Medusa whispered uneasily in the face of her twin's anger.
Salazar very rarely got angry because it was a feeling he had trouble understanding. Often, his anger stemmed from a more tangible feeling they were both used to: fear. He was terrified that they had entered the forest.
"You have no business in this forest," Weasley said. "That goes for both of you, Riddles."
"I asked Salazar to help me," the centaur said softly, stepping forward. "If I hadn't called him, he would never have come."
Salazar had already told him a bit about this centaur. Silvana, from what Medusa remembered, was a centaur close to humans but, above all, very friendly to Salazar. No doubt that in the centaur calendar, Silvana was considered to be of their age because she had a young and sweet face and was a little shorter than her congeners.
"Look, you mustn't go to the forest again, ever again," Salazar said. "The situation is becoming catastrophic; we are all in danger."
"Of course, and only you have the right to go? Bagman interjected. "What would we be without your help, Saint Salazar?"
The irony passed completely through her twin, who frowned. The centaur, uncomfortable without the trees of the Forbidden forest, began to back away to return to the forest.
"I'm going back to our territory. I'm counting on you, Salazar; we have to put an end to this."
Salazar nodded, resolved, and Silvana left without the anxious gaze of the teenagers. What was the strange mission that Silvana had given her brother?
"I'm not even going to comment on the fact that you have a centaur girlfriend, Riddle," Bagman hissed mockingly.
Salazar blushed and lowered his eyes. This attitude annoyed Medusa enough for her to stand in front of her younger brother, and she snarled at the Gryffindor beater.
"Everyone has their stories of girlfriends or boyfriends, except for you, Bagman, since obviously you don't have anyone. When I'll repaint your portrait tomorrow at the game, maybe a poor girl will take pity on you? In the meantime, I have other sycophants to whip up; you will excuse me."
The young woman pulled her brother to her while the two Gryffindors looked at them like hunting dogs. Before Weasley had the idea to once and for all give them detention, she had already dragged Salazar to the park. He let himself go, his head still bowed. Medusa found him looking tense and anxious.
"What were you doing in the forest?" Salazar asked again as they came into sight of the hall. "Why were you looking for me?"
"And you? What are you doing with that centaur? What are these barriers, and what were you doing there?"
Salazar paused for a second, looked left and right, then grabbed his sister's hand abruptly.
"Promise me you won't go to the forest again, ever again. Even the park may be dangerous."
"Sal! What is happening?"
For the first time, with brutality, Sal entered her head. Medusa repressed a little surprised cry; fear made her youngest do crazy things.
"Since we opened the chamber... the spiders have been preparing for battle. Aragog, the Spider King, has created colonies throughout the forest. There are tens of thousands of spiders biding their time. I tried again to speak with Aragog, but he doesn't want to hear anything. Until all the Slytherin heirs are dead, he won't stop."
"Is it us he wants? Medusa wondered.
"More than us, it's Father. Dumbledore put up a barrier to protect the students, but it won't last long. "
Terror chilled the girl even more than her father's compliments earlier. The idea that thousands of spiders a few hundred metres away had only one idea—their annihilation—made her shudder. Sal broke contact between them and walked down the hall.
"Are you going to tell Father about it, Sal?" asked the girl following him.
"No. And you?"
"I don't think that's his main concern," Medusa confessed. "He knows about Eddy and me… He just left the castle."
In Salazar's blue eyes, fear was replaced by worry for a moment. He tried to slowly get into her head to understand. Medusa pushed him away firmly.
"He hasn't done anything to me, not yet... I don't know what he's going to do with Eddy. Please take care of him."
Refusing to say more, heart pounding, Medusa left Salazar as he headed for the Great Hall. She rushed into her dorm at full speed.
.
.
The next day, Medusa woke up a bit mushy and lost, as the sun hadn't quite risen yet. The events of the day before came back to him suddenly. From his dad's smile to Eddy's cold stare to Salazar's revelations, the upcoming game was the least of his worries. However, she put on her player's uniform while her comrades were still asleep. When she came out of the bathroom with her green dress and neatly tied hair, she saw that Bellatrix had woken up. The brunette watched her for a moment from her bed, playing with her crazy curls.
"Have fun, Med."
Bellatrix then scampered off to the showers before Medusa could thank her. Ever since Bella left the team, it hasn't been the same. Umbridge also woke up, wiping a little savoury trickle of drool from her cheek. Her cat Froufrou and her litter of little red mongrels still slept soundly against the young girl. She hadn't tried to bother Lee and his kneazle about it; no doubt Umbridge was too cowardly for that. When Umbridge's eyes met Medusa's, she immediately lowered them in a fearful and worried attitude. This hardly pleased the young girl, who preferred to ignore her and go and have breakfast.
She had missed dinner the day before, and if she doubted she could swallow much today, she had to regain her strength. Tony Flint and Rosier entered the Great Hall as soon as she sat down, soon joined by the Lestranges brothers. Everyone already had their Quidditch uniforms, and as the sun slowly rose, a beautiful day was coming.
"Fine," Rosier said as Spencer Mulligan, the team's last chaser, arrived. "We stay on our strategy; what matters is to annoy the Gryffindors as much as possible. We push them to the fault until Tony catches the snitch."
If Tony in her fourth year was not very talkative or even very pleasant, he was small, light, and fast, which made him their best strength against the Gryffindors.
"You're saying that because you're convinced we don't have the level," Medusa hissed, taking a bite of scones with her tea.
"If you didn't spend all your time on the moon, Riddle, maybe we'd have the level," Rosier replied acerbically. "Just because your dad's a deputy doesn't mean you're guaranteed a job."
The other players on the team chuckled. She was the only girl on the team now, and this isolation created a disadvantage that the girl hadn't anticipated. For some time, Rosier had been more assured and more scathing. Revealing his half-blood origins had changed that idiot into a more venomous copy of himself. At that, Medusa sneered.
"Just keep your goals, Rosier, because, like keeping a girlfriend, you can't."
She got up quickly as the other boys laughed and left the table to join Rita. The latter, as a commentator on the match, had put on her thirty-one and sported a silver lipstick while her eyelids were made up with a line of emerald green kohl.
"You like?" Rita asked, showing her makeup. "It took me forever to get a nice line. The Gryffindors just have to behave themselves; a good set-up will put them back in place."
"Not bad," Medusa agreed. "Unfortunately, you won't be able to use all your talent as a commentator. I understand that Dumbledore will be monitoring the match with McGonagall today."
Rita looked disappointed and glanced at the head table where Dumbledore had regained his seat while her father's place was vacant. When Medusa's eyes met the old man's electric blue ones, he smiled slightly at her. The young woman turned her head towards her classmate.
"I saw that old wreck go off in a hurry yesterday," Rita whispered. "I wonder where he went."
Medusa had no idea, but she didn't have to wait long for the answer. As the Great Hall was now crowded with students waiting for the match, the owls bringing the mail came in with great wingbeats. Several dailies fell between the bowls of cereal and porridge. Medusa and Rita were drawn to the photo and the title; they bent down to retrieve a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"GELLERT GRINDELWALD ATTACKS EPSOM DERBY!
For the first time since his mysterious escape, the Dark Warlock of sinister reputation, Gellert Grindelwald, has been seen. As one of the first races of the year took place at the Epsom Derby, Grindelwald and his former supporters attacked the location in the late afternoon. All the wizards have been evacuated in time by the Malfoy family protection service; however, there is not much left of what was once the Derby and a meeting place for all the wizarding population. This targeted attack stopped the moment Albus Dumbledore, called in for reinforcement by the auror service, Apparated at the scene. Grindelwald and his followers then fled and have since been found.
While the English magic community is recovering as best it can from this attack—the first since his escape—we now know a little more about the motivations of the black mage. With his decision to attack England being of course linked to his troubled past with Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we should expect more attacks on our territory."
Medusa didn't finish the article and looked at the slightly animated photo. Nothing remained of the building that was once the derby. Medusa wondered if that was the reason for her old father's abrupt departure. Had he been warned of the attack and wanted to check the damage himself? She hoped her mother hadn't been there. The column of smoke from the charred wreckage of the Derby told him that the flames had ravaged everything. A Darkblood never resisted the flames, but she reassured herself by telling herself that if ever an incident had happened, her father would have warned her.
"Grindelwald is in England." Rita blanched. "He's going to attack the school, do you think?"
Many of the students were staring at Dumbledore and seemed to be asking the same question as they read the article. The old headmaster was almost amused and stood up, accompanied by McGonagall.
"You all seem very concerned, young people. A beautiful day is announced in countdown to a match, which will undoubtedly be thrilling. I invite you to enjoy this day and leave the worries of the outside world behind for today."
It seemed like a signal. Medusa stood up to leave the Great Hall. She saw Lee and Salazar arrive. The two boys ignored her; there was no doubt that Eddy had explained to Salazar what their father had said yesterday. With a twinge in her heart, the brunette headed for the Quidditch pitch, her broom under her arm. It had snowed a little during the night, but the weather was milder. The other Slytherin students were already starting to invade the stands to get the best seats while the players joined Medusa in the locker room. All were ready and eagerly awaiting kick-off.
"Stay focused, Riddle," Flint said, mimicking Rosier as he straddled his broom.
"Say something like that again, and I'll force you to jump off your broom thirty feet off the ground. Is that clear, Flint?" hissed Medusa.
They entered the field, and the Gryffindor team did the same. It was a perfect day to play Quidditch. Medusa straddled her broomstick and took off as the other players did the same. Medusa felt the cool air on her face and the wind in her hair; flying calmed her somewhat.
Rosier went to shake the hand—or rather crush the knuckles—of Ludo Bagman the captain of the Gryffindor team, and the match started. Medusa immediately retrieved the Bludger and began to sneak attack Bagman, with Lorys Wilmer replacing Bellatrix. With their strategy relying exclusively on the idea of enraging the reds and gold, Medusa was not going to be shy. Annoying others was something she excelled at, and Bagman lost some of his surly air when he dodged her bludger by a hair's breadth.
"And Lestrange scores! Ten to Zero for Slytherin!" Rita screamed ecstatically.
As the greens and silvers celebrated Rodolphus' achievement, Medusa turned to hover near the reds and golds' goal. In the crowd, she looked for her brother and Eddy but couldn't find them. Further, going up slightly in height, Medusa could see the park of the castle, with three small forms taking shape. It must have been his brother, Eddy, and the cursed stalker who accompanied him.
"Medusa! Wake up!" Rabastan snapped, making a sharp turn near her after trying to score a goal.
The quaffle was retrieved by the Gryffindor Chaser, a pretty girl with long blonde hair whose name Medusa didn't know. She clung to the handle of her broom, swooped down, and retrieved the bludger Bagman had dropped. From there, she hit the bludger hard with her bat, aiming at the girl. She dodged it at the last moment and marked:
"Kathryn Collins scores," Rita muttered. "Ten to ten."
Wilmer then aimed his bat at Collins as she took a lap of honour with the Gryffindors. The bludger crashed between the girl's shoulder blades, and she collapsed on the bleachers between two Gryffindors. We went to check on her, and as Collins got back on his broom, a penalty was awarded to Gryffindor.
"After Mr. Wilmer's unfair attack, Miss Collins gets a penalty," McGonagall continued, snatching the microphone from Rita's hands, who had no intention of commenting on this foul.
"And Collins scores... again."Twenty to ten in favour of Gryffindor."
The reds and golds let their joy burst as the match resumed. Soon, the Slytherins found themselves overwhelmed by the situation, as the Gryffindor team was significantly stronger. Their treacherous attacks that had destabilised the opposing team at the beginning were no longer useful. Gryffindor was leading ninety to ten, and the joy of the tier of reds to gold gave him the furious desire to throw spells with all his might to silence them all.
Finally, Flint went after the Snitch, as did Elsa Hooch, the Gryffindor Seeker. A bludger arrived towards Medusa, and as usual since the beginning of the match, she aimed at Bagman. The latter hovered slightly lower. The power of her strike and that of gravity hit home as he crashed into the broomstick. The broom was simply shattered into several pieces, and Bagman fell to the ground. The fall lasted only a moment. He was only two meters from the ground, but Medusa had the satisfaction of seeing that he was getting up pitifully. At the same instant, Flint's hand landed on the golden snitch, and he swooped down. Slytherin had won from one hundred and sixty to ninety.
It was then a thunder of joyous howl that invaded the stands of Slytherins. Their team had won, but that didn't do much for Medusa. Among all those people in the stands, she had no one to share her joy with except maybe Rita, who was bragging in front of a slightly irritated McGonagall. She let herself fall gently to the ground, not far from Bagman.
"You broke my broom, Riddle!" shouted the furious teenager.
"You'll ask your goblin-rich dad to buy you a new one, Bagman. Bless the fact that I only broke your broom," Medusa hissed, turning away.
With a broom on her shoulder, she eventually returned to the locker room. The other boys congratulating each other were already spinning in the shower, so Medusa headed for the female showers. She undressed, took off her necklace, and entered the shower.
The hot water on her skin felt good after the cold wind, and she wanted to stay in it all day. Medusa, knowing she was the only girl, took her time as she heard the other players leaving their own locker rooms. A party was organised for the afternoon and the end of the evening, and no one wanted to miss it.
Medusa didn't even know if she wanted to see people, but as she had always been taught, she had to wear a mask. Going to a party she did not want to be at was just one more socialite on her list. The girl turned off the water in the showers, and while she was getting dressed, she started to feel weird.
She was hot—very hot. Her winter clothes seemed almost unsuitable to her; she had the impression of being in the middle of summer. She probably had a fever, she told herself. As she quickly retrieved her things to go out, she stumbled against a shape at the entrance to the showers. Percy Rosier looked very pleased. Seeing him, Medusa felt even warmer; she felt a powerful tickling deep in her insides. All the other students had already left, and she was alone with him. Already, Medusa tried to reach the exit, but her legs were struggling to support her. The last belongings she held against her fell to the ground. Rosier arrived to pick them up.
"How's Med? You're all weird; do you have a fever? You want something to drink?"
"Don't call me Med," squealed the young girl, stunned by this stroke of heat. "What do you want me to drink?"
It only took a second for Rosier's eyes to know. Medusa gave an evil sneer as she drew her wand.
"A love potion? Seriously? Are you that pathetic?"
But something was wrong; Rosier was way too confident as his plan fell through. He picked up the Zephyr Gaunt medallion she had received on her birthday from the floor and held it to her face.
"I've been trying to get you to drink it for a while; until now, you were always protected. I didn't understand where it came from. Then I thought of the necklace. So I had to find another way to make you drink the potion. At a time when you weren't wearing your necklace."
Medusa's eye drifted to the showers behind them. She was getting hotter and hotter; she was literally in a cauldron.
"You mixed the filter in the water tank of the girls' showers," she realised too late.
"Exact."
Rosier approached her gradually, and what followed seemed very distant. Nothing else mattered except being close to him, if that stopped the flame inside her. He leaned towards her and kissed her. The rest was lost and became hazy.
.
.
When Medusa opened her eyes, she saw where she was. She was in the room reserved for Slytherin prefects. Some prefects requested this privilege from Slughorn to have a little privacy, and their head of house offered them this small present without flinching. She was in bed, but she wasn't alone; her feet were touching a warm form behind her. She turned.
"Hey you," Percy whispered, kissing her cheek.
Medusa let it go and replied with a long kiss. The firestorm deep inside her body took comfort in the teen's muscular arms. How could she have done without him before? wondered the stupefied young witch.
"I've been watching you sleep for a while," Percy smiled, pecking kisses at her mouth. "You're adorable when you sleep, Med."
"You should have woken me up," she whispered. "What time is it?"
"Seven o'clock soon. Breakfast should already be served, but I still want to stay near you. You drove me completely crazy last night."
The young man's hands slid over her skin, and this blaze was now mingled with a strange burn left by the pulp of his fingers. Not knowing how to react to it, Medusa stole a faithful kiss and started looking for her things in the mishmash of clothes.
"I think we've still got time to take a shower together," Rosier said, biting her shoulder. "You come?"
"I'm coming, sweetheart. I'm just going to clean my dress to look presentable for class."
Completely naked, Rosier headed for the microscopic bathroom adjoining the bedroom.
Medusa was eager to join him, but as she picked up her things mixed with Percy's, a faint shimmer caught her attention. From Percy's trouser pocket protruded a small gold chain that Medusa knew very well. It was the necklace given to her by her father on her fifteenth birthday.
Still hazy and dreamy, Medusa reached for the jewel to retrieve it, and there she felt like she had woken up in a nightmare. The enchanted jewel removed the last traces of the love potion from her, and an icy current ran through her. The events of the previous day—what she had said and what she had done—came back to her. She quickly hung the necklace, then got dressed quickly. She had to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Medusa?" she heard Rosier call her as she slammed the door behind her.
She went up to the girls' dormitory. Without greeting Bellatrix or even Rita, she rushed into the bathroom.
Dolores was taking her shower in the cabin, and when the girl saw her, she squealed.
"Get out of the shower, Umbridge!"
"I'm not finished," she squealed, still covered in soap.
But Medusa didn't care; she violently pulled her comrade's arm to get her out of the shower. She threw her out of the bathroom, locked herself in there alone, and plunged fully clothed into the shower.
The cold water washed away the last bits of mist and heat in her as the last elements of the night came back to her memory. Rosier had noticed her taking off her necklace while showering after their practices and tricked her. She hadn't been able to see him in time, and now the irreparable had happened.
To refuse to think about it, Medusa came out of the cold water completely frozen. She summoned a new robe, dressed, and set fire to her clothes from the night before. Watching them burn, she didn't feel any better—quite the contrary.
When she left the bathroom, Bella and Umbridge were gone, and only Rita was waiting for her on her bed, flipping through a Witch Weekly magazine that her mother was on the cover of.
"Ah, there you are. Where did you spend the night, naughty girl?"
Refusing to answer, Medusa grabbed her bag and stuffed her potion book into it.
"We should go; we have class, and I haven't had breakfast."
She left the room, with Rita following her. The blonde had a little crooked smile that Medusa knew well; it announced gossip to come.
"So… Are you going out with Perceval Rosier?"
"W-what?"
"Oooh please. Everyone saw you in the common room last night at the party. You spent the evening kissing him; you didn't say a word to me! You have to tell me all this; how could I miss it? I thought he was bothering you, but in fact, you ended up becoming receptive to his attempts."
"That must be it," Medusa muttered, mortified as the last memories flooded her mind.
As they walked down to the common room, Rosier planted himself right in front of them. Reflexively, Medusa tightened her grip on the handle of her bag as the teen smiled flirtatiously.
"Skeeter, do you mind if I borrow you Med?"
Rita questioned her friend with a look that gave her a small, confident smile. The blonde left the common room as Percy grabbed her shoulder. A mixture of terror and anger paralysed her on the spot.
"You fled earlier, babe. I was waiting for you."
A few seventh-year boys hadn't heard his sentence, but seeing the two of them together brought back fond memories of the night before.
"Oh no, no slobbery kisses in the morning! I thought you were going to suck each other up last night. Perce' I beg you, you do this outside."
With a small smile, Rosier pulled Medusa through the passage in the hallway. When they were alone, Percy put a hand on her waist. The young girl pulled away abruptly.
"Don't touch me," she hissed.
"I see the love potion is no longer working," Rosier gritted. "Too bad, you were nicer bewitched."
"You're completely sick," Medusa whispered. "It's completely illegal; that's-
"Dumbledore is senile, and the Rosiers are intimate with the Minister; believe me, I'm in no danger," chuckled Rosier. "But you, what will happen when your parents find out what you did? In the name of pureblood law, I am your first, and I have the right to propose to you."
Medusa froze. Yes, what would happen if her father found out what had happened? After Eddy, and after threatening her? Was he going to lower her ambitions, as he had told her during the holidays? Marry her with Rosier? The prospect seemed so terrifying to her because it was possible that she almost felt her legs give way under her weight.
"I could kill you too; that would solve all my problems," she growled, drawing her wand quickly.
"After everyone saw us together?" whispered Rosier quietly. "You'll be the first suspect; we know that."
"What do you want?" choked the young girl. "You already had everything you wanted; are you satisfied? Now leave me."
"You're a real head-slapper, Medusa, but I like you," Percy smiled. "You ruined my reputation in school. No good family girl has been interested in me since. You break, you pay. You're my girlfriend now; otherwise, everyone will know what we did in my bedroom. Your father first."
Medusa took the time to assimilate the information as a violent nausea rose within her.
"Which means… what should I do exactly?"
"Spend time with me when I want, kiss me, and be with me; nothing complicated. For what we did last night, I'll wait for your agreement; I'm not a monster."
"I'll never do such a thing, you nut," she hissed in terror.
"Down with a tone, Med, "you did not quite understand the situation in which you found yourself. One word from me, and you're finished. You broke my reputation; you're going to help me fix it. That the team captain and prefect is dating one of the prettiest girl in school is the order of things, and everyone should understand that. Until I find something better, you're mine."
From there, he closed the distance between them and slammed his lips on hers. Terrified, Medusa lowered her wand and let it go.
.
.
.
In Care of Magical Creatures class and in the biting cold, Eddy wasn't on his mind. Since his catastrophic meeting with his guardians and the words of Mr. Riddle and Medusa, he has again been completely lost. He didn't feel anything anymore, so he did what he had to do mechanically. He went to class with Salazar, did his homework, and was studious and serious. Since then, Obscurus has been very quiet, as if an invisible barrier had enclosed the creature within him.
Maybe yes; it was easier not to feel anything than to be swallowed up by sadness.
Eddy had seen Medusa entwine tightly with Perceval Rosier the night of the match, and since then he has felt nothing but indifference. It was much easier to deal with than the pain.
However, it was the pain that challenged him, as a little niffler he had to feed with a bottle unwittingly pinched his finger with his little beak. Eddy stifled a small cry as he adjusted the bottle nipple in the niffler's mouth.
Professor Kettleburn had had several litters of nifflers, and the course of the day consisted of bringing them the care that one offered to a newborn, namely feeding it and roasting it. If Eddy had seen Newt do it many times, he felt awkward and monstrous with this tiny creature barely larger than his hand against him. Salazar seemed better off cradling the niffler in his arms as he tried to grab the gold and silver necklace he wore around his neck like his twin. Suddenly, Salazar quickly cast his gaze across the park towards the Forbidden Forest. Eddy looked there too; behind the gnarled trunks, you could discern large, dark masses moving.
They didn't cross the barrier of trees, but they were there, present, and Eddy knew very well what it was because Salazar had told him about his interview with Aragog and Silvana.
"Maybe we should talk to Dumbledore about it," Eddy muttered, peering into the woods. If the spiders are after you, you are in danger.
"It's not just my dad, my sister, and me," Sal said softly, letting the niffler finish the last drops of milk. Everyone is in danger. If the spiders attack, they will give no quarter. Dumbledore knows; he's the one who put the barrier up, but I don't know what he's going to do.
Salazar's eye then drifted to Hagrid digging his vegetable patch; he pouted slightly. The lesson ended, and as they led the baby nifflers back to the small bassinet near Kettleburn, Salazar abruptly turned on his heels. Eddy saw him walk towards Hagrid, and the teenager followed his comrade as the students returned to the castle.
When Hagrid saw Salazar, he looked slightly annoyed. He quickly put down his spade and prepared to return to his cabin.
"Wait ! Mr. Hagrid!" Sal breathed.
"I know what you're goin' to ask me," Hagrid growled at his door. "Aragog hasn't listened to me for months, like his children. I can't do anything."
"So what?"We wait until the spiders are numerous enough to attack."Eddy interjected.
"Hagrid, there are thousands of them; even the centaurs are beginning to ask for help. For a centaur to ask a wizard for help..."
"The situation is bad," Hagrid confirmed with a worried look, then put on a reassuring mask. "Listen, young blood, Professor Dumbledore has the situation under control; he has put up barriers. He'll fix that spider problem; it's not up to you. Return to the castle to go to lunch, both."
Not reassured for a sickle, Eddy and Salazar turned on their heels, and the keeper immediately slammed the door of his hut. As he walked towards the castle, Eddy was in his thoughts like his comrade. Sal was tense, walking with his back straight with an expression that reminded Eddy terribly of Mr. Riddle. The latter had not reappeared at the castle; it had been almost ten days since he left on a trip. Eddy wondered if it had something to do with Grindewald's attack at the Derby. Sal had hinted that his family had a lot of "business" there.
The two friends sat down near Gwendal and Kheiron. The Pettigrew held one of the baby nifflers they had to take care of in Care of Magical Creatures over his shoulder, and Charm sat on a bench and lurked at the little creature like an adorable snack. Eddy immediately picked up his familiar and gave him a slice of herring.
"I asked Kettleburn if I could keep him," said Gwendal. "He's really too cute."
"'Cutey' is not really the right term," whispered Kheiron, to whom the little creature had tried to snatch the earring a little earlier. "If your thing wants to sleep in the dormitory, you'll have to teach it not to snatch other people's stuff."
"It's not a thing," squealed Gwendal. "He has a name. Since he likes shiny things, it will be Knut."
"The Knut doesn't shine much," Eddy remarked, finishing his herring and fried potatoes.
"He likes his name," Salazar assured with a small smile.
Knut just jumped from Gwendal's shoulder to Sal's to try to pull his necklace. The teenager caught up with him in time and contented himself with offering him some of his pumpkin pie and a few cuddles. Charm was immediately jealous and stepped on Eddy's lap to ask for a peck in turn. Salazar gave him some as well.
In the evening, after their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson given by Mrs. Prince, Eddy and Salazar were getting ready to return to their dormitory.
Medusa abruptly dodged them and left before Rita even had time to get up. Eddy had time to see Bellatrix and Rita exchange a puzzled look before the two went their separate ways. Eddy hadn't tried to talk to Medusa again, and even Salazar didn't seem in a rush to speak to her. Yet the latter must have sensed Eddy's confusion on this subject because he turned his head towards him as they descended the stairs.
"You know, it's more complicated than that with Med. Her goal was not to use you."
"I know."
Somehow the anger and betrayal had long since been erased, and Medusa's guilty look had made it clear to him that she too wasn't as callous as she wanted to make her out to be.
By acting as he had, Mr. Riddle had hurt them both to varying degrees. He did not need to raise his voice or even torture them; he just used the complicated passive between them.
As Eddy walked down a step on the second-floor landing, they saw that one floor down was Dumbledore. He was deep in discussion with Professor Burbage. When the teachers noticed the two teenagers, they smiled at them. Sal looked even tenser and tightened his grip on his pack.
"See you at dinner, Charity. I need to talk to Edward for a minute."
The young teacher nodded and went down the stairs. Salazar looked down and whispered:
"'See you downstairs."
From there, he slipped away, not daring to look at Dumbledore. The latter put a firm hand on Eddy's shoulder as he tried to escape.
"I know you're probably in a hurry to get to Salazar, but I'd really like to talk to you."
With a sigh, the teenager allowed himself to be led by his headmaster down the hall. When they were fairly sure they were alone, Dumbledore sat down on a stone bench in an alcove lit by a large lattice window. Eddy resigned himself to doing the same. In the moonlight, Dumbledore looked tired, and his face was pale. No doubt he hadn't been able to sleep much since the attack on Grindelwald.
"I want to apologise for my deficiency in Hogsmeade during the test of the new Illuminial formula, Eddy. As you have guessed if you have read the Prophet these last few days, an emergency has forced me to go to the Derby. If I had been there, maybe the situation would have been different."
"I don't think so," Eddy muttered. "You know I stopped taking my potion, Newt and Tina told you."
"Indeed," Dumbledore replied slowly, looking like he was struggling for words. "I have to say that I am very surprised at how few incidents we have had to report since then. I imagine it has to do with the lessons Professor Riddle gives you."
Eddy nodded as words couldn't come out of his mouth, blocked by the oath he had taken months earlier.
"Aren't you angry?" whispered Eddy.
"No, of course not. Somehow, I understand why you need these lessons, but there won't be any more, I'm afraid. I forbade Professor Riddle to continue your 'classes' if you can call them that way; he refused to explain to me what they consisted of."
Dumbledore cast a glance at him, hoping for an answer that didn't come. Eddy stared at the leaden path between the small panes of the window as if it were something altogether fascinating.
"So I have to take the Illuminial again and stop my sessions with him, even if it could endanger other students? You might as well send me right back to Newt's suitcase!"
Dumbledore hesitated.
"Newt, Popentina, and I are trying to work out a new recipe with Professor Hicks and Mr. Felish. They haven't abandoned you and won't abandon their search anytime soon. I know you don't want any more tests, but believe it or not, keeping you alive is your guardians' biggest concern and their way of showing you they love you. You seem to have found a certain stability with your comrades, which reduces the incidents, but yes, it would be better if you resumed your treatment. Newt and Tina sent me something for you. Happy birthday."
"T-thank you."
Dumbledore handed him a small object covered in brown paper. Eddy couldn't remember his birthday and didn't remember having celebrated it before. Usually, Tina and Newt were preparing something to celebrate the day they had met all three, namely February 22. Maybe he had been fifteen for months or would not be for months, but receiving a present was not planned. With a shaking hand, Eddy tore the paper.
A small watch with a leather strap fell from his hand. Its dial was made of small bluish twinkling stars, and the hands were shaped like two magic wands. He should have been moved, but it didn't do much for him. He closed his hand over the object and, in confusion, went back to staring out the window.
"Tina and Newt, don't blame you. At least not as much as you might think; you just need to talk. For the rest, I leave this matter between you three. You should send them a message."
Eddy gritted his teeth to hide his annoyance. He saw on the leaden path of the window a tiny spider weaving its web.
"I'll do that, but maybe you should take care of the Forbidden Forest. Between the spiders and Grindelwald, I'm not your priority."
The line was dry, and Dumbledore froze slightly. In the moonlight, his blue eyes no longer sparkled, and Eddy would have made her look twenty years older.
"Indeed. But if I took the time to talk to you, it's good that I'm worried about you. Nevertheless, it seems that I overstepped my function as headmaster. So we see each other at dinner."
Dumbledore got to his feet with astonishing vitality and left him to take a secret passage. Eddy watched him disappear, then noticed the watch his guardians had given him. He put it on his wrist and left the floor quickly. Salazar was waiting for a lower floor and was deep in discussion with Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. When he arrived, the two blondes frowned slightly.
"So no one knows why Grindelwald specifically attacked the Derby," Salazar said thoughtfully. "Dumbledore wasn't even invited; Grindelwald had no reason to be there."
"As if my father was going to invite this old crackpot to make bets," Lucius grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"It's lucky no one was hurt or killed," Narcissa whispered in a small voice.
"Thestrals and Abraxans were able to escape at least?"
"What do I know about it?" Lucius squeaked. "At the time, the goal was to save wizards, not bloody horses."
"Hasn't it been too much of a mess since then?" Eddy intervened, coming down the stairs after them. "I heard the place belonged to your family, right?"
Lucius narrowed his eyes as their exchanges had never been cordial before, but no doubt the fact that Salazar was there prompted him to be somewhat polite.
"In fact, it suits my father. The building was old and outgrown; this is the perfect opportunity to rebuild a bigger Derby with insurance money."
"Father is so happy." Narcissa nodded back. "He runs a construction company. My mother told me that he's going to be in charge of the work on the new Derby. Grindelwald arranged our two families without knowing it."
And with Salazar's suspicious look, Eddy thought that Grindelwald might have arranged another family's affairs. The quartet froze when they saw Mr. Riddle walking down the hall. He didn't give them a glance and rushed into the Great Hall. The teenager wondered how long Riddle had been back from his trip and what would happen now that Dumbledore had explicitly forbidden the professor from giving him lessons.
As he wondered, a noise caught their attention behind them. Narcissa, Lucius, Salazar, and Eddy turned around. Medusa and Rosier were tightly entwined in an alcove in the hallway and were kissing openly. Rosier's hands were glued to Medusa's hips as she turned her head, and the sight nearly shattered the wall Eddy had put around his Obscurus. Medusa's dark eyes were fixed on them in a strange expression as they watched their couple. Salazar jerked as he met his twin's gaze.
Without giving Eddy time to react, Salazar quickly grabbed the collar of his robe and kissed him. Completely stupefied and dumbfounded, he let himself go for a second, then pushed his comrade away.
This time it was Lucius, Narcissa, and Medusa staring at them in amazement. Why had Salazar done such a weird and spontaneous thing? Eddy and Salazar touched lips in equal embarrassment.
"Well, there you go," chuckled Rosier. "So that's it, Lee. Everyone has their own Riddle."
The teenager took Medusa's hand and pulled her towards the Great Hall, and the young girl complied obediently.
"That was disgusting," Lucius stammered. "How long have you been together?"
"Mind your business," Eddy hissed.
Narcissa looked at Lucius curiously, with the air of wanting to try. The little blond at this observation turned brick red. He took his fiancée's hand, and together they left for dinner. Eddy was left with Salazar, still completely in shock. He glanced sideways at his comrade, a little uncomfortable.
"Uh...I can't...I'm not-"
"I know. It's not you. I didn't want to either. That's what I read in Med's eyes. When she kissed Rosier, it was you she wanted; she shouted it with all her might in her head. She released her gift on me."
Salazar looked even more uncertain and bit his bottom lip. Eddy thought that even if the reciprocal was valid for him, nothing could happen. Mr. Riddle had warned him that if anything happened between them again, Medusa would pay for him. And he didn't want to hurt her anymore.
"Don't do something like that again, and we're good," the teenager finally said to unfreeze the atmosphere.
Sal smirked, and they left the hallway towards the Great Hall. Eddy was still a bit confused and embarrassed, and Salazar was back in thought. He had never questioned his sexuality because, until now, surviving his Obscurus had always been his priority. In a way, you could say that this kiss was the least of his worries. Riddle's slightly flushed gaze was a far more worrying worry than Salazar's kiss, Eddy thought to himself as he sat down.
The Great Hall was crowded with students, and all the teachers were present in a most joyful atmosphere. Only professors Riddle and Dumbledore, who seemed to ignore each other, made a mark in the decor.
"What did Dumbledore want with you?" Salazar finally asked in a low voice, taking a bowl of zucchini meal.
"Dumbledore cancelled the lessons I had with your father," Eddy replied just as quietly. "I don't know what will happen now."
Eddy wondered what he should do now. Should he resume his treatment when, despite everything, he managed to keep a semblance of normality precisely without the Illuminial? The idea of becoming weak, nauseous, and exhausted again frightened him.
As Eddy filled his plate with smoked bacon, a shudder caught his attention. At the entrance to the Great Hall, Arthur Weasley and Ludo Bagman were pale and looked terrified. Weasley had a red-tinted white sheet in his hands. They were frozen, and a few students were starting to comment among themselves.
Apollon Picott, the janitor, approached the duo and eyed them wickedly with his good eye.
"What have you got there, you bunch of little cockroaches?" A bombshell?"
"Oo-we n-need to t-talk to Professor D-Dumbledore," Arthur stammered. "It's urgent."
Dumbledore's attention was precisely on the prefect; the headmaster slowly stood up, frowning his long white eyebrows. Picott didn't hear it that way and tried to snatch the sheet from Weasley's hands.
"Not without showing me what you guys are hiding. I know you, Gryffindors, always in trouble."
"No ! Don't touch that," Bagman interjected.
"Mr. Picott!" Dumbledore shouted.
But too late, after struggling with Weasley, the white sheet tore and its contents fell to the ground. There was a moment of hesitation where the students didn't understand what they were looking at, just like Eddy. It looked like some sort of round, blond animal covered in blood. No, it wasn't body hair; it was hair, and Eddy had seen that hair before.
"SILVANA!" Salazar yelled.
Right in the middle of the Great Hall was Silvana's head, detached from her body, her large blue eyes drained of their gleam by the coldness of death. An icy current ran up Eddy's spine, and no doubt that of all the students in the school, because no one said a word as Professor Dumbledore ran towards Weasley and Bagman.
"I…I found her on my guard near the forest…I think it's the spiders."
It was too much for Salazar behind Eddy. He choked, screamed in his throat, and passed out.