Chapter 11

Endora was avoiding Vatera still, making sure she wasn't in rooms too long with her or sitting as far away as possible during meals, and tonight was no different. She waited until she knew Vatera would be in bed before entering the dorm. There was so much on her mind. Between the issue with Vatera, her budding relationship with Wyatt, and reconnecting with her family, her mind felt like it would explode. She worried she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully at all at this rate. She grabbed her toiletries and pajamas and went to the baths, readying herself for bed. When Endora left the baths, hair up in a bun, wearing a long robe over her satin pajama short set, she barely registered Wyatt standing in the hallway where the baths split until he pulled her up against his chest. Endora blinked in surprise, face full of lean muscular chest. She said his name in a muffled, confused voice.

He chuckled and leaned her back. "I just wanted to see you before bed, Starlight." He reached up and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "I barely saw you at all today."

"It was a very long day." She splayed her hands against his chest, brow raised as she smoothed out the creases of the overly stretched tank top. "You need bigger shirts. I don't think your chest can be contained in such flimsy fabric."

He barked a laugh at her assessment. "I started doing more exercise over the summer." He flexed an arm, showing off the taught muscles. They weren't too big, but if he kept it up, there was no doubt that they would grow to be quite impressive.

"Is this for quidditch?" Endora couldn't help but reach up to squeeze at his bicep.

He smirked at her, "It wasn't initially. I just wanted to get fitter, but as I started doing more muscle training, I realized it'd be beneficial, especially since I'm one of the beaters."

"James is going to have a terrible time with you this season, isn't he?" He thought back on how he always made it a point to bludger Potter whenever he saw him on the field. She couldn't help but shake her head.

There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, the green-tinted candlelight making his hazel eyes appear more green. "I hope he's prepared to get knocked off his broom."

"I suppose I can't convince you to go easy on him, can I?"

"Nope." He popped the p. He would be a terror in the skies this year. "But you know what the other benefit of having muscles is?"

"What?" She tilted her head.

Wyatt's grin nearly split his face as he lifted her into a princess carry and spun around. "It's easier to pick you up." He gazed down at her flushed face and laughed as she pressed her palms into her cheeks, hiding the embarrassment. He set her down after a few beats of his racing heart, spinning them so she now had her back against the wall as he caged her in. Wyatt's strong, calloused fingers touched her face, his touch feather-light as he moved the hair away from her eyes. "I'm not just going to be magically strong, but physically strong too so that if anything ever happens, I can shield you." His thumb moved along her bottom lip. When she opened her mouth to protest and argue that she could protect herself, he pressed a heated kiss to her lips to quiet her.

Endora's eyes grew wide at the sudden kiss, her heart already pounding away against her rib cage. Wyatt was becoming too much of a wild card, and she was having difficulty predicting him. She was usually so much better at reading people, but Wyatt? Wyatt was an enigma wrapped in the most delicious wrapper. She let her eyes slide close and grabbed at the fabric of his tank top around his waist. Endora didn't know it now, but that was a very possessive move.

Wyatt instantly took notice and smirked into the kiss. He pulled away and stared down at her, meeting the storm of her eyes in the same way a sailor braved a tumultuous sea. "My Starlight." He practically purred as he pressed her into the wall, his hard body against her soft curves, molding together perfectly. He wanted to do so much to her, but alas, anyone could walk down this hallway and catch them. A Notice-me-not charm would do well, but Wyatt knew better than to think he could keep her there for as long as he wanted to.

"If you insist on calling me such nicknames, I will have to figure out one for you, too."

"I'll be waiting to hear it with bated breath." He pressed in just a little bit more. Wyatt sighed and leaned down to bury his face into her neck. And then he bit her.

Endora yelped and tightened her grip on his shirt, "W-Wyatt?!"

He chuckled and switched to sucking on the spot, making sure he left a mark. When he pulled back, he whispered in her ear, "So there's no doubt you're mine."

She wasn't sure what to do with this. Her heart felt like it would come out of her chest, and the warmth between her legs? That was certainly a new feeling. Lips smashed against his the moment he leaned back from her ear. Endora felt his thigh pressing against her, his movements subtle as it rocked into her sensitive flesh. Her fingers were in his hair, pulling slightly, nails biting into his scalp as it scratched along and down the back of his neck, the tiniest noises leaving her. Their kiss never broke. Not until she felt something heavy and hard against her. She swallowed hard and looked up at him.

"Mm… not yet…" he muttered as he reluctantly pulled back from her. They were both very disappointed, but there was no point in going further, not when their relationship was still so new.

Endora couldn't help but groan at the loss of the pressure his knee provided against her soaked anatomy. "You're… really something else." She grumbled.

A warm laugh rumbled in his chest, his eyes solely on Endora. His Starlight. He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry I have to leave you like this…" His eyes flicked over her form, her face flushed down to her neck and ears, the barest hint of a wet spot forming on her shorts. He wanted to touch it, to sink his fingers into her wet heat and make her cry his name. Wyatt hated how horny he felt, and by the look of her, she was too. He pushed away and held her at arm's length. "Merlin, I want you right now. But I'll be good."

Endora's mind was a bit muddled as she tried to come to terms with what he actually did to her, how his touch lit a fire in her that she just couldn't ignore. She shook her head several times, trying to clear the thoughts away. "You better go."

"Mm… right." He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, then left one on her forehead, "Good night, Starlight, I'll message you."

All she could do was nod as she watched him leave down the hall first. Endora pressed her hand against her chest and took a few shaky breaths. "Pull it together." She clasped the bridge of her nose, massaging gently, hoping her mind would start working again. When enough time had passed, she returned to her dorm. She put her bag of toiletries back in the trunk and climbed into bed, closing the curtains and putting a privacy ward up. She fished her phone out from under her pillow where she had left it and gingerly unlocked it, looking to see if he left her a message at all. There were a few from when she went to shower, and she snorted. He must have been trying to get a hold of her while she was bathing.

After sending him a random gif of a cat climbing into bed to sleep, she leaned over and reached for the vial in her nightstand drawer. With how the day had been, she needed this sleeping draught more than ever. Otherwise, her mind might be running a mile a minute without it. It was so dark in the confines of her drawn curtains that Endora didn't notice that the color of the contents was off; only when she had emptied it out into her mouth did she notice that the taste was very off. Diluted even. "Did… this go bad?" Her brows furrowed, and she felt around to see if something was wrong, but her magic didn't sense any red flags. Maybe she was imagining it in her infinite paranoia.

Laying down, Endora let her eyes close. She would take the vial to Professor Quintell when she got to class tomorrow.

.-.

Morning came like a shot in the dark; the night was a terribly long and restless for one Endora Winifred Dursley-Wynne. She had spent it pulled deep into a fitful sleep, flashes of images crossing her mind of past, present, and future. The terrible thing about having visions was how hard it was to tell when events actually occurred or if they had yet to be. But the night, this night in particular had given her visions of the gruesome battle of Hogwarts. Worse still was how Endora embodied a person in her visions, making them a very real and tangible experience, a trauma she would carry. The fear, the terror that ripped through her body as she ran down the corridors of Hogwarts, attempting to flee the fighting, or rather, flee something coming at her on quick feet. She passed a mirror and caught a glimpse of blond wavy hair in two low pigtails, blue eyes, and pale skin. Endora didn't have time to assess who she was, not when a howl ripped through the hallway behind her.

And then the pain came. The bites, the tearing of claws on flesh as she screamed so horrifically that it tore at her own vocal cords. There was no saving whoever she was, now when the werewolf ripped through clothes and flesh like paper. The pain, the excruciating pain, and fear rippled through her body as if it were her own. The coppery smell of blood filled her nose as tears burned her eyes, and her screams died out as the light left her eyes. Before the life was snuffed out altogether, she heard two names. Lavender. Greyback.

When Endora sat up in bed, drenched in sweat and tears streaming down her face, she had no idea how much time had passed or who she was right now. The searing pain in her back, sides, and thighs had her feeling all over her body for the wounds that were not really there. A quick lumos illuminated the space she was in. Pushing back the covers from her body, she looked down at her legs. Long and thick red claw marks were on the surface, a reminder of how powerful and dangerous her seeing was.

The worst part was that there would be no one to tell this to, no one to understand, because true seers were looked down upon even in this society of wixen. The art was seen as a farce, a parlor trick, and not the magic that it was. The smear campaigns of old were the culprits here, of course. No one really knew how it worked, couldn't explain it, and the fact that there wasn't a set way to access that part of their magic made it seem like codswallop. She couldn't blame the masses entirely of course, ignorance will always be bliss.

Endora was absolutely shaking, and slowly she reached to push open the curtains, letting in the light and dropping the privacy ward. Feet firmly on the cold stone floors of the Slytherin dorms, Endora, sweat and tears glistening on her skin, looked up in time to see Tonia moving the curtains to get up for the day.

Tonia turned her gaze to her and felt a wave of panic. She hadn't seen Endora look like that since she began taking the sleeping draught. A quick glance around and she was rushing over to her, her hair a mess from sleep. "Endy, what happened?" She stared into her face. "Oh, stars, you're bleeding!" She half hissed. "We need to get you to the hospital wing." She hastily looked around for a cloth to press to Endora's face, trying to stop the blood dripping from her nose. Tonia stared at her with concern. "Talk to me."

But Endora couldn't. Her throat was raw from screaming in terror, and she was trembling far too much.

Tonia helped her with her slippers. "Come on, you need to get checked out." She hoisted Endora up, settling her arm around her shoulders. "Just lean on me, alright, duck?" She cooed softly, trying to keep her friend calm. "You'll be right as rain in a mo, I promise."

Endora barely made a noise and simply let Tonia take her.

Tonia, bless her, supported Endora all the way out of the dorms and navigated to the hospital wing. They were intercepted by a teacher making early morning rounds on the way. "Professor!" She called out to him, struggling with holding up the other girl. He was a lithe-looking man with dark hair and ghostly pale skin. He was more of a phantom than a man. Even with his chiseled features and strong jaw, his kind eyes were a deep, warm brown that sometimes nearly bordered on red when the light hit them just right.

"What is this?" Dominic Spires, the current muggle studies teacher, reached out to grab Endora before she could fall out of Tonia's grip. The smell of blood caught him, and he tensed for a moment. Whatever that reaction was, it was gone as soon as it came. "Explain."

"I just woke up to her like this." She started wringing her hands. "I'm not sure what happened, but she's in such a state that she can't talk. I was trying to get her up to the hospital wing."

His face softened, "all the way from the dungeons." He managed to shift and lift Endora into his arms. "I'll take her from here. You go back and alert Professor Quintell." At Tonia's worried expression, he moved to reassure her, "She'll be fine; you can visit her in the hospital wing later." He quickly turned and briskly walked in the other direction, carrying the 6thyear easily in his arms. He looked down on her with pity, wondering what exactly had happened to make her like this. He thought back on when she was a young girl and the times she would walk around school in a near catatonic state. Dominic was certain that Ameris Quintell had found a way to fix that, so what could have possibly happened?

.-.

It wasn't long before rumors spread through the dorms that something had happened to Endora. Wyatt felt his stomach sink. She had been fine last night. He couldn't help but look around the table at the students gathered. The whispers going up and down the Slytherin table were getting progressively more ridiculous, such was the Hogwarts rumor mill. He noted Albus and Scorpius down the way. The look on Albus's face, in particular, was soured with worry.

Albus's jaw locked in place as he glanced at the Gryffindor table, his eyes meeting his older brother's. They seemed to communicate quietly. After breakfast, food barely touched, Albus stood up and left without Scorpius in tow. He met with James and Lily at the great hall entrance, and the three went on together to the hospital wing.

Wyatt shifted and wondered if James had spilled the beans to the younger two. He wanted to run off to the hospital wing himself, but he didn't want to intrude if her cousins were going. He let his eyes roam the table once more and found Tonia. She was staring at Vatera quietly, almost accusingly. Vatera looked smug. The wave of displeasure Wyatt felt at just looking at her caused him to grit his teeth with displeasure. There was no doubt in his mind that she had something to do with what happened to Endora, to his Starlight. "Morgan."

Tonia looked up, startled he was addressing her, "Yes?"

"Come." He stood up fluidly and moved out of the great hall, expecting the girl to follow behind him.

The blond took a few moments to come back to herself as she stood, ignoring the glare Vatera shot her. She followed him out and waited for him to say anything to break the awkward silence between them.

"So what really happened?"

She sighed, "Honestly, I'm not sure. I woke up to find her shaking, her nose bleeding, I – I haven't seen her like that in years. Something must have been wrong with the potion she usually takes at night."

He stopped in his walking and turned to her. "You think this is Valbis's doing?"

"I'm not sure if it was her, but the look in her eyes makes me feel like she might have had a sneaky hand in it. I'll have to warn Endora to ward everything on her side of the room."

"She shouldn't have to live like that." He muttered, hands balled into fists. He had meant to go to class, but they were both standing outside the hospital wing before he realized it.

Tonia saw James and couldn't help but look between him and Wyatt at the door, a nervous look on her face. "I'm sure nothing's going on between them! Albus and their sister are there too!"

Wyatt looked at her, "I know there isn't." But he couldn't tell her why. He didn't know if Endora had confided that bit of her secret to her or not, so he wasn't about to reveal it. "I trust her." He said at last.

Tonia sighed with relief. "Maybe we should come back later…" She shifted, then felt the weight on the inside of her robes. "Ah, I have her phone." She pulled it out.

His eyes fell to it, "I'll take it to her, you go to class."

"But-"

"Endora will want her notes. You can handle that, right?"

Tonia nodded and slowly put the phone in his hand. "Alright, tell her I'll be back by lunch if she's not out by then."

"Will do." He watched her leave. His eyes fell to the phone in his hands, and he couldn't help but swipe his finger up, causing it to light. His breath caught. Endora had put the picture he took as her lock screen. He pressed the phone to his chest, a stupid grin spreading across his face. He quickly schooled his expression, breathed, and entered the room as quietly as possible. "How is she?"

James looked up and turned toward Wyatt, "was wondering when you'd show face."

"I didn't want to interrupt." He shot back. His eyes then fell off Endora's sleeping form. He moved to the other side of her and slowly slipped her phone under her arm so she'd feel it when she woke. His face fell at the markings on her arms. The marks were mostly faded now but the residual redness of deep scratches remained.

Albus looked up at him, "any idea what happened?"

Wyatt rubbed the back of his head, "hard to explain, but I have a clue. We should get out of this room and let her sleep." He motioned toward the door with his chin.

The three reluctantly agreed and turned to leave, James squeezing Endora's hand as he went.

Wyatt took it as an opportunity to kiss her forehead softly. "Get better, Starlight…" He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. He soon left and followed the other three out of the hospital wing.