Touched by the muses
Sev looked at his watch. "Ugh… it's half past nine, we have half an hour left for curfew."
"Bah, what does curfew matter?" Valerie said.
"Nothing, curfew doesn't matter at all, but I have to sleep, guys. In the end we have come here to do something that we could have done in the Common Room at home."
"Okay, but you can play the song for us, even a couple of times, we have enough time."
"Yes, sure, I'll play it for you, but first I wanted to ask you two something, Valerie and Andrew, how are you doing with Occlumency?" Sev asked.
"Perfect, Prince," Andrew answered. "One hundred percent, both. We've already started on Legilimency this afternoon."
"Wow… wonderful. Deborah, pass on the Magic of the Moon notes to Valerie tonight."
"Will you give them back to me when we get home, Paul?" Deborah asked.
"Of course," Paul replied.
"What is that of the Magic of the Moon?" Valerie asked.
"Deborah and Paul, tell them about it," Sev said.
They did, briefly.
"Wow…" Valerie said, very surprised. "It's what we're already doing."
"Of course, with the merit that for Andrew and you it have come out spontaneously because you have a very healthy relationship. It is ideal for you." (Let Jack take note. He's going to lose Lauren.)
"So you see, Valerie," Andrew told her. "You're not going to be with anyone better than me."
"Of course," Sev said. "I think so too."
"But I can do it with others, right, Andrew?" Valerie asked anxiously. "Don't you back down? At least with Prince…"
(How cute, she's already forgotten about Sirius,) Sev thought. (It was all to make us laugh.)
"No, Valerie, with whoever you want..." Andrew said patiently. "And even more so after hearing this."
"I won't make you starve, sweetheart."
"I know that you won't, we already talked about it."
"Read it tonight, before getting to the subject," Sev told them. "It will only take you half an hour and it's not wasted."
"We will," Andrew said, very sure of himself.
"Did you also have the notes on Druid Magic, Deborah?"
"Yes, Prince, I also gave them to Paul," Deborah answered. "Have you read them yet?"
"Of course," Paul replied.
(Both are extremely efficient, they are such for such.) "Then pass them on too, so they're getting ready for the ritual," Sev said.
"What you were telling us the other day about the Celtic horoscope?" Valerie asked, very interested.
"Yeah. We'll do it this week, it depends on how I have the schedule with the old man, tomorrow I'll tell you. Also read them as soon as possible, because another one comes later. Do you have the Red Magic ones too, Paul?"
"Yeah, I haven't finished those yet," Paul answered.
"Well, don't be in such a hurry," said Sev.
"The Red Magic? And what is that?" Valerie asked.
"The Magic of Love. The most powerful weapon against the Dark Arts. The shield that you saw the other day in the mirror."
"Wow... But that, wasn't it a wish?"
"Of course it was a wish, but based on something that exists," Sev answered, "I already told you, another surprise that we have prepared for you."
"Wow…" admired. "And all this was the old man's thing?"
"Not at all. He had the books collecting dust in the Room of Requirement storeroom, we stole them."
"Take that! Before the reveal?" Valerie asked, very excited.
"Yes, Lily and I discovered that they existed in the annexes to an old edition of the General Compendium of Defense in Diagon's used bookstore at Easter. When we got back to school, I read Minerva and found out that those books were hidden in the storeroom, but not exactly where. You remember what the storeroom is like, right?"
"Of course," Andrew said.
"Well here our dear Deborah, Jack and Anthony, spent all the free hours of a week looking for them, they even made a map of the Room, to open them all at once," Sev explained. "There were five cabinets, we made it with curses, with all the books removed from the R.S. for a thousand years of Hogwarts, most of the Dark Arts. They are in our power. What do you think?"
"That you beat him by the hand," Andrew said, triumphant. "In less than a month."
"That is," very satisfied. "And now they will serve to save lives, everyone's. You already saw the desire in the mirror, four against twelve and not a scratch."
"We are going to be invincible!" Valerie exclaimed.
"And there wasa full cabinet with books on beneficial Ancestral Magic from cultures around the world, and another on Mental Arts," Sev continued. "There are many more than Legilimency and Occlumency."
"Take that!"
"A lot of work."
"We'll do it together," Paul said, very sure of himself.
"No wonder you're so busy, Prince," Valerie told him.
"Well, yes, becoming invisible comes from Druid Magic and there are a multitude of rituals that grant various powers," Sev explained. "For example, one in a cave that serves to remember everything that happens to you in life in maximum detail."
"Of course…" said Paul, understanding. "That's why it was enough for you this afternoon to read the topics to study them."
(He doesn't know the cave ritual, because Mum didn't copy that one because there were no caves in the Forest. And he figured it all out while he was studying too. Paul deserves to be a squad commander, and Andrew too. What a waste, because they have already formed the affinity group among themselves.) "And that's why I know the names of almost all the warriors and those of the House, in less than a month. And I don't forget anything I'm learning on the piano, that's why I've made so much progress in such a short time."
"It's fantastic!" Valerie exclaimed.
"You will gradually acquire them," Sev went on. "Not all warriors will, but you will, we are the advance guard. Also Genevre, Alice and Frank are learning Occlumency with Dumbledore with the same goal, to be part of the summer escort. I already transmitted the talent in the tree to them, because surely they did not possess it, but the vast majority of Sly have it, due to our quality of being reliable and discreet, and living under the Lake also helps us, since it is one of the mental images that can be used to hide secrets."
"Of course…" Valerie said. "It's the one we've chosen."
"For the moment, this week you have the ritual, and perhaps the following week the essentials of Red Magic, the power to form the shield in case we suffer an attack by Death Eaters while you escort me or Lily in summer."
"Wow… we are privileged," Andrew said. "Thank you for having us, Prince."
"Give them also to Jack, who is the one who is instructing you in Mental Arts, that was the first step," Sev said.
"Thank you very much, Jack.
"Thank you, Jack," Valerie said dryly.
(Valerie is hurt with Jack because of what happened before, she doesn't forgive as easily as she said. Normal, she has been trying very hard to create a good atmosphere and Jack has ruined it. And he doesn't answer them, he's going to be left alone if he doesn't wake up.)
"And since all great power implies great responsibility, next year you are going to have extra work," Sev continued. "Not everyone is going to train in Legilimency, but yes in Occlumency, and for that we need legilimancers to read them and a fleet of Pensieves."
"Of course…" Andrew said, understanding.
"A lot of work. Are you ready? It is time to back down. Don't waste time learning to read if you don't feel like taking care of that task, we have one week left for exams."
"I am willing, of course."
"Me too," Valerie said.
"How have you been?" Sev asked.
"Valerie better than me," Andrew said.
"Because she surely has the talent, she is more intuitive than you. But it does not matter, you will both acquire it as soon as we carry out the Druid ritual, who already possess it will transmit it to you."
"It's wonderful," Valerie said.
"And not only that, how are you doing in Transfiguration?" Sev asked.
"It is the subject that we have the worst, both of us."
"Of course, it is the most difficult subject. But today Paul has seen me practice at home for the OWL practical test. How was I doing, Paul?"
"Outstanding," replied Paul.
"I haven't gotten Outstanding in all these years," Sev went on. "Last Monday I performed a joint ritual with the Gryffs, Deborah and Dumbledore in a sacred tree and Albus transmitted to all of us his talent for Transfiguration in order to Lily and I would have an easier time learning to become invisible. As soon as we do the ritual, I'll pass that talent on to you too. What do you think?"
"Wow… wonderful… just before exams," Valerie said, admired. "This is a great luck," laughing.
"And all the rest of my talents, which are practically all the subjects, I am Oustanding in almost everything. At first the five of us were going to go, you two, Deborah and Paul. I also want to invite Anthony, Deborah, to help him with the practical test. Does it seem bad to you?"
"Not at all, Prince, of course, invite him," Deborah replied.
(Generous to the core, she doesn't care if Anthony interferes as long as he makes a profit,) Sev thought. (Anthony isn't going to interfere anyway, he loves both of us. Maybe I'll do a joint with him too, if we have enough time.) "Are you in, Jack?"
"I'll think about it," replied Jack.
(He was already better and he has become encysted again, and all because Paul has told him off, luckily it did not have to be me. I am going to make it easy for him, I want him to at least reconcile with me, otherwise I will not see Ariel all summer.) "Okay, I reckon we'll go on Wednesday, think about it between now and then. Tomorrow I'll ask the old man to extend the chain of the Time Turner, also counting on you."
"Thank you Prince."
(Honestly, I prefer that he not come, he is going to interfere. But I have already done my part,) Sev thought.
"Didn't you have to send the letter before curfew?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I'm going now if you wait for me here."
"I'm coming," said Jack, getting up.
(He has reconciled with me, and better, that way I stay talking to them about him, we have to fix it.) "Thank you very much, Jack, we are waiting for you for the song. You're the only one who hasn't listened to it yet," Sev said.
"Thank you Prince."
"Thanks to you, brother."
Jack took the package that had been left on the piano and went out. As soon as the door closed, Sev spoke, "We have to do something with Jack, he is staying alone."
"This afternoon he has been very well with us," Valerie said, nonchalant.
"Yeah, I already noticed it at dinner."
"But then he has screwed up to the bottom, Prince," Paul told him. "I had tell him off."
"Of course, and I thank you very much, otherwise I would have had to in front of everyone," Sev reassured him. "It wasn't your fault."
"And what do we do, Prince?" Valerie asked, not overly interested.
"Maybe split up. Don't all of you stay to study with me at home, one couple stays and the other goes with him. I no longer have to study anything this week, I am going to dedicate it to reading other interesting things."
"No, not that, Prince," she replied emphatically. "When it's time for Deborah and Paul to go to the clearing, you'll be alone. I do not want to."
"Me neither," Deborah said.
"And if I go to the Library with the fifth-years when it's like this and read there?" Sev suggested. "Now there are no malefics to fear, and so I also give them a hand."
"Is that what you want to do?" Valerie asked him, somewhat harshly. "Or do you do it for him? Because it's not the first thing you've proposed."
"I do not care."
"Come on, Prince…" she told him, jaded. "Don't kid us, you love the window."
"I can do without the window two or three days this week," Sev said.
"And don't you think that you are already doing without too many things?"
"No, actually, you give me everything I need. I really want to do it like this, spend time with Anthony too, I only see him in class."
"But then you are going to deprive Andrew and me of your company, we also feed on it," Valerie said.
"Well, then let's all sit together in the Library."
"It is not the same, at home we are much more relaxed. Let Jack be the one to stay home with everyone if he wants, I don't feel like spending the whole week with him, in the clearing and in the Library."
(Jack isn't going to do it, he's staying in the Library for Lauren,) Sev thought. "Of course, I'm not going to force you to do anything. But it is true that I want to be with my fifth-grade classmates one day, I won't see them all summer. I will be one evening that is your turn and another that is Deborah and Paul's turn. That way I share myself, I'm with everyone. Afternoons, at home. Does it seem good to you?"
"The afternoons you don't have flight class."
"Sure, of course. I guess it won't be necessary for you all to come with me either. There is no danger now, Dumbledore will tell me."
"But we want to," she said. "And have George come instead of Jack, like Friday."
They all nodded.
"We have to fix it before the end of the term," Sev said. "Jack is also going to be part of the escort, and Bonding is necessary for Red Magic to work, it's about trust and affinity."
"But a team is only as strong as the weakest of its members, Prince," Paul said. "It's better to do without a member of the escort and for it to be strong as a rock."
"Understand that I need to maintain a good relationship with him, otherwise I won't be able to see Ariel in the summer."
"Don't worry about that, Prince, of course you're going to see him," Valerie told him, very sure. "As if he has to stay at my house instead of Jack's."
"Or at mine," Deborah said. "There are many empty rooms in my house, the two of you can stay whenever you want, and also Lily and whoever you want."
(She says it for Lauren.) "And who's going to talk about this with Jack? Do I have to do it?" Sev asked.
"Of course not," Valerie told him. "You, forget about it, you have a lot of worries, we'll take care of it. Both the remaining days of school and the summer, you will spend them with whoever you want, you just have to tell us what you need at any time. If you don't manage with Jack or you don't want to see him, you won't be left without seeing your little one, not to mention. Ariel will live in another house, they have not adopted him, they have only welcomed him, he can go wherever he wants, and he will go where he can be with you. That is clear to you, isn't it?"
"Yes, and with Lily, he also misses her a lot."
"Don't worry, the three of you will be together, everything you need."
"Thanks friends," Sev said.
"Come on, forget about the subject and sit down at the piano. In the end he has embittered our evening."
"Well, it hasn't been like that either, we've had a good time."
"Yes, thanks to us," Valerie said. "It seems incredible to me that with the effort and trouble you are taking for each and every one of us, without leaving anyone behind, someone boycotts you like that, without stopping to think about the hard day you've had, all weekend really, that you haven't even spent the night at home, and Jack knows that too."
(Of course… Jack has already smelled that I was with Lauren yesterday. Deborah told them that I had not slept at home, when she saw that I did not arrive for the curfew,) Sev thought.
"You've been worried since Friday night, right?" Valerie continued. "You went to train having slept for six hours."
"Did you tell them, Deborah?" Sev asked.
"Of course I told them," Deborah replied. "We must take care of you among all of us, as a family. You have a lot of tendency to keep things to yourself."
"Look who's going to talk."
"I kept them to myself because I had no one worthy to trust. As soon as I have found them, I only keep what must remain a secret, the rest, I tell."
"Did you also have Time Turner yesterday?" Valerie asked him. "You don't have to tell us what you did, just tell us how many hours your day had yesterday."
"Twenty-nine, and today, twenty-six," Sev answered.
"And how long have you slept?"
"Yesterday afternoon I slept the equivalent of seven and a half hours with the Restorative potion, at night I slept from eleven to four, actually from four to nine, and this afternoon I took a two-hour nap after lunch."
"A total lack of control," Valerie told him harshly. "You won't be able to make it through the month we have left, and on top of that, with the OWLs. Get rid of all negative influences, think of yourself and only yourself, we will take care of the rest."
(She's absolutely right. I'm abandoning Lily and Deborah for Lauren, who tells me off every chance she gets, and worrying about Jack when he doesn't care about me,) he thought. "You're absolutely right, Valerie. I still have a lot to learn, to prioritize."
"That is. If you fall, we all go behind. You still have to learn to become invisible, take us to do the ritual, do the Red Magic thing, take flying classes... How many other things? You will know."
(Take Lauren to a tree, to watch the sunset, teach Audrey Occlumency, take her to the fir tree, put Lauren and Valerie in contact with Sirius, teach curses to the entire escort, learn to handle Fiendfire, teach it to Lauren. Ugh… I've messed up too much, I'm not going to have time to do it all.)
"You've been thinking for a long time, you've gotten too involved," Valerie continued.
"Yeah."
"Learn to delegate."
"There are many things that I cannot delegate," Sev said.
"Because you get too involved with people before you know them well, Gryff flaw."
"You're right."
"Can't you delegate them to Deborah?" she asked.
(Maybe Audrey's thing, the tree with Lauren, and the curses. I'll talk to her tonight.) "Yes, there are things that I can."
"Well, do it, talk to her tonight."
"I will do that," Sev agreed.
"Of course, Prince," Deborah told him. "We are a team, never forget that."
"Thank you, Deborah."
"Come on, sit down at the piano and play the song for us, Jack is not coming back," Valerie said. "He didn't go to send the letter to do you a favor, he went to escape."
"Yeah, I see."
They rose. Deborah told him, "Sit down, Prince, I'll open the lid for you."
"Thank you."
Sev sat down on the bench and lifted the keyboard cover. As Deborah set up the piano he concentrated. (I have never played it in this state of mind, I was always happy and excited when I began to sing. But today I really feel inside the fishbowl again, giving importance to things that do not have it, putting what others want before what I want. The right mood for this song.)
He began to play 'Wish you were here' slower than usual, feeling each note like a stab to the center of his soul. (Ugh… I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish it. Before I identified the first part with Lauren and the second with both of us, but now I'm also the one who's trapped in a world that isn't mine, I just want to live peacefully.)
He began to sing, feeling the lyrics as his own, his own words, a tormented lament, a need to get away from it all, to leave the Room at that very moment, head straight for Albus' office and Floo to his home in Cokeworth, to his mother's arms, burn their wands and forget they were witches, forever.
A simple life, meeting Lily again in Cokeworth park, doing magic with her just for fun, like they did when they were little. When he got to the bridge he was already crying, he took the opportunity to take a deep breath and calm down so he could finish.
When he started the second verse, 'How I wish you were here', he didn't feel it as something he was saying to someone else, he was saying it to himself, as he had gotten lost along the way. He was no longer what he wanted to be, he no longer wanted to be a powerful wizard, he just wanted to be a normal person.
He felt himself spinning in a very small fishbowl, he cried his eyes out, in the last verses his voice broke. He finished, he didn't play the whole instrumental part at the end, he finished with just one phrase, he was completely empty.
He looked at his friends, who were standing by the piano, all crying linked with each other and seeming unable to speak. They spent a long minute like this, the five of them.
Finally Valerie spoke, still crying, "You are touched by the muses. Masterly. Today you have really felt it."
"Yeah. Today I have understood the true meaning of the song, because I am losing myself," Sev replied.
"Disappear if you want and dedicate yourself to music. You owe nothing to anyone, you are not indispensable."
"It was what I was thinking while I sang."
"Go away, Prince," Valerie said. "Don't get lost along the way, there are many ways to fight, and art is one of them."
"I couldn't live without all of you anymore."
He got up and hugged them. When they calmed down, they went home, for once, without closing the piano, watching the Map, running or walking stealthily, down the main stairs. The two girls linked him and the boys guarded their backs.