Chapter EIGHT
The Mysterious Benefactor
It took two more hours for Rick to fall asleep after his nightly excursion to the trophy room and even then, it was a restless sleep. Luckily it was Saturday and they could sleep in so it was nearly noon when Rick descended the stairs to the common room. Looking around, he saw Rigel sitting by the window reading a letter.
"Morning." Rick announced as he plopped down across from his friend.
"Morning." Rigel replied with a yawn, putting down his letter.
"Looks like someone could do with a few more hours of sleep." Rick teased.
"Yes, well, I could have if someone didn't keep me awake half the night with his moaning." Rigel gave him a meaningful look and Rick grimaced.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. I guess I still have to get used to sharing a dorm instead of having a quiet room to myself." Rigel replied. "Must have been some nightmare, though." Rick froze. He had dreamed about his mother's death again last night but he wasn't keen on telling Rigel that. He didn't want Rigel to think he was a pansy. Luckily, he was saved from having to answer when a cheery voice interrupted them.
"Good morning!" Terri happily sat down next to Rigel who stared at her as if she was mad.
"Who are you?" Rigel asked. The look of confusion on his face was priceless.
"Terri Thompson." Terri held out her hand and Rigel numbly took it.
"We met last night in detention." Rick offered as explanation.
"A whole evening cleaning those bloody trophies. My arm is still killing me." Terri complained.
"What did you do to get detention?" Rigel asked her. Terri shrugged.
"I got caught throwing a Dungbomb." She said casually and Rigel instantly regarded her with a lot more interest.
"Let me guess, you forgot to wash your hands?" He asked and Terri nodded. "Rookie mistake. I would suggest you use gloves next time." At Rick's confused look, he explained. "Dungbombs cause your hands to get filthy, which makes it easier for professors to identify you as the culprit."
"Thanks for the tip." Terri said.
"I wouldn't have pegged you as someone to use Dungbombs." Rigel said admiringly but Terri did not take his comment as a compliment.
"Why? Because I'm a girl?" She pulled a face. "We're not all brainless idiots fawning over handsome band members, you know. I just want to see what happens when you throw a Dungbomb and how to set off some Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat Fireworks." The boys smirked. Terri was alright for a girl.
"Where do you get all that stuff?" Rick asked.
"I got them with my dad on Diagon Alley." Terri answered. "He thought they were funny."
"I wish I had a dad like that." Rigel said. "Mine just calls them rubbish and a waste of time."
"I'll happily share." Terri offered. "We could try one out right now, if you want?" The two boys took her up on her offer and the three of them ended up having a bit of revenge on Selwyn that day by throwing a Dungbomb at the door of his office. Thanks to Rigel's invisibility cloak, he never found our who'd done it and the three of them laughed at Selwyn's indignation all the way back to the common room.
On Monday, however, they had a lot less to laugh about. They arrived late in Charms class, earning them a slap on the wrist from Griffiths and it only got worse from there on for Rick. He got twenty points deducted for failing to turn in his Transfiguration homework again and got a lengthy lecture from Rowlett in front of the entire class about the importance of doing homework, almost making them all late for their next class. The other professors didn't appreciate Rick's failure to hand in homework either. Professor Lloyd, their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, gave Rick detention for not doing his homework and professor Harewell admonished him and took five points for not turning in his paper on Moly. In History of Magic on Tuesday, they got a surprise test with a couple of questions about what they had learned the week before. Of course, having paid little attention in class, Rick scored terribly and was therefore tasked with writing an additional essay, the only one next to McCallum, who was probably the poorest student in their year. Professor Selwyn didn't hesitate either to take twenty points when he discovered Rick had not written his essay on the boil cure potion. Losing all these points and racking up detentions made Rick even less popular with the other Gryffindors. He couldn't sit quietly in the common room anymore for any length of time without receiving nasty comments or a few glares. Even Rigel and Terri began to feel uncomfortable about the situation. Whenever the two of them were doing homework – Rick often doodling or playing with cards instead – they developed the annoying habit of urging him to put quill to parchment and write something down. Rick usually either ignored them or deflected the suggestion.
Rigel and Terri weren't the only ones, though. At the end of their next Charms class (which they'd devoted entirely to practising the wand movement for the fire-making charm), Griffiths called Rick aside.
"O'Connell, do you have a moment?" Rick wistfully watched his friends head out before approaching Griffiths desk.
"Do you know why I want to talk to you?" Griffiths asked politely.
"No, professor." Rick answered truthfully.
"You're here because I've been getting reports that you've not been handing in your homework." Rick didn't reply, there was no use denying it. "Is this true?" The professor prompted.
"Yes, professor." Replied Rick bluntly. Griffiths sighed.
"As your head of house, it is my duty to talk to you about this. Now, I know it may not be fun to do work outside of classes but rules are rules. When you're older you get to decide how much homework you give yourself, Merlin knows I try to limit it as much as possible." He said jovially, winking at Rick. "For now, however, you're a student and you need to do as you're told. Do we understand each other?" Rick did not answer, he didn't really know what to say. "Then I trust you will work harder and hand in your work from now on." He finished, motioning he could leave. Rick happily obliged and left, not really sure what had just happened. Griffiths wanted him to work harder when he himself only ever did the bare minimum? Rick didn't feel it was very fair and he did not feel any urgent need to do his homework. He spent that evening playing gobstones with Rigel and Terri, completely forgetting the conversation with Griffiths.
By their next Transfiguration class, professor Rowlett had a near fit when Rick told her that he had not done his homework again. He did not think he had seen anyone so frustrated and mad before and he kind of thought it was funny to see the normally composed Rowlett so rattled, right up until she deducted twenty points and gave him detention again. After class, Rick caught up with Rigel and Terri in the corridor as they were heading to the common room to drop off their stuff before lunch, when a hand closed around his arm and he was suddenly and rather roughly pulled aside.
"What are you doing?" It was Lewis and she did not look happy.
"I thought I was about to go get lunch." Rick replied non-plussed, rubbing his arm where she'd grabbed him.
"Do you not care about Gryffindor at all?!" She hissed. Rick stared at her, already getting annoyed as he understood what she was hinting at.
"What's going on?" Rigel joined in.
"Your friend here is constantly loosing Gryffindor points because he simply refuses to do his homework." Rigel looked a little hesitant but came to his defence in due course.
"What Rick does or doesn't do is his business I think." He said, much to Lewis' displeasure.
"It's everyone's business when he's costing Gryffindor this many points, points I work hard to earn I might add." She ranted, making Rick's hackles rise. What right did she have telling him what to do?
"Rigel's right, you little know-it-all." He snapped. "It's my business and you don't geta say in it so bugger off." Lewis scowled at him and stormed off in frustration, leaving the three friends alone.
"She does have a point, you know." Rigel said carefully when she was out of earshot.
"Sorry?" Rick asked confused.
"Why don't you put something on parchment for Selwyn by Tuesday so he doesn't have another reason to deduct points again?" Rigel suggested innocently.
"I thought you said I didn't have to explain myself, that I could do what I wanted?" Rick asked, not understanding.
"You can, it's just that at the rate you're going, Gryffindor is going to place last in this year's House Cup race." Terri explained. "And it's not just Lewis, there are a lot of Gryffindors who think you're being arrogant and selfish."
"Who cares what they think?" Rick said indignantly. He hadn't thought his friends would turn against him like this.
"No one, but if you keep losing Gryffindor points, you'll soon become the most hated Gryffindor and no one will want to be your friend." Rick looked at her, trying to ascertain if she meant that included her and Rigel as well. She held his gaze, not revealing anything and Rick snorted.
"What's the point of writing essays?" He asked angrily. "We're supposed to be learning how to do magic, not how to wield a quill. When they ask me to practise an actual spell, believe me, I'll gladly do my homework." And with that, he stalked off, leaving Terri and Rigel alone in the corridor.
That evening, Lewis was shooting daggers at him as Rick was aiming cards to land on the chair across from him.
"Yes!" Rick hissed when one of the cards he'd thrown whizzed across the chair's seat and remained delicately balanced on the edge of the chair. Terri put down her copy of The Art of Potion Making with a sigh.
"Why don't you join us writing the essay for Selwyn?" She asked sounding a little annoyed.
"I'm busy." Rick replied, throwing another card. It skidded over the others and flew over the edge of the chair to land on the ground.
"Throwing cards?" Terri said sceptically. "Why don't you do something a little more useful?"
"Like what?" Rick asked innocently, aiming his next card.
"Like working on the essay for Selwyn?" Terri said pointedly.
"I told you, I'll start doing homework when they tell us to practise spells." Rick said, throwing another card which landed perfectly on the chair.
"You don't think I prefer doing actual magic than this tedious work?" Terri said irked. "This vendetta against the teachers won't get you anywhere, except perhaps suspended." Rick felt his temper rise and threw her an aggravated look. Vendetta against the professors? She didn't understand anything. Not wanting to get into a full blown argument, he reigned in his temper.
"What's up with you?" He tried to sound light. "Ate something wrong at dinner?" He grinned at his own joke but Terri didn't join in, and neither did Rigel.
"She has a point, mate." Rigel said. Rick looked from one of his friends to the other. "Why are you on my case about this? You dislike homework just as much as I do. Stop being moody about it and just don't do it." He almost snarled at them, finding it harder and harder to keep his cool.
"No thanks." Terri said unimpressed, collecting her things from the table. "Unlike you, I actually care about Gryffindor." And she marched off to the girl's dormitory.
"Seriously, what's got her knickers in a twist?" Rick addressed Rigel, thinking he at least would still be on his side.
"You." His friend replied tersely. He'd also collected his things.
"Where are you going?" Rick asked him.
"I need a place a little less distracting to finish this paper." Rigel replied, moving across the common room to join Cedric at his table. Rick watched him go, feeling both sad and irritated. At the next table, he caught Lewis looking smug at him, as if to say 'I told you so', which only irritated him more. Not eager to give her a chance to comment on it, Rick got up as well and walked to the portrait hole. He didn't really know where he wanted to go, he just wanted to get as far away from his housemates as he could. He wandered aimlessly through different corridors for some time until he found himself in a part of the castle that was completely unfamiliar. There were no paintings in this part of the castle, in fact, it looked very much like it had been a while since anyone or anything had come here. There were cobwebs everywhere and the absence of light fixtures made the corridor look peculiarly creepy and desolate. Curious, Rick opened one of the doors and entered what seemed to be an old abandoned class room. The room was quite dark but Rick could just make out old and broken desks and chairs piled up against the wall and a thick layer of dust covering the floor. As he took in the room's features, it was as if someone put on a light inside Rick's head, a light that filled him with excitement. He had found a place where apparently no one came and where he could do whatever he liked without anyone commenting or criticizing. He whipped out his wand and tried to think of a spell he could try. The fire charm they had been preparing for in Charms class came to mind.
"Incendio." He said as he performed the wand movement they'd practised endlessly. Immediately, an uncontrolled large burst of flames sprouted from the tip of his wand, illuminating the otherwise dark room. Rick smirked, finally he was doing magic.
He had no idea how long he practised so when he started heading back to the common room – this time paying attention to where he was going so he could find the room again later – he treaded carefully as he wasn't entirely sure he was allowed to roam the halls at this hour and he wasn't looking to spend another evening in detention. As he reached the third floor, he heard footsteps coming his way and Rick quickly hid behind the first door he could find, leaving the door slightly ajar. The footsteps came closer still and through the gap, Rick saw professor Griffiths walking passed, looking around as if he didn't want to be seen and heading down the stairs. This struck Rick as strange but he quickly forgot about it, the need to get back to the common room unnoticed more pressing. He did not want to exasperate Rigel and Terri even further by getting caught and, more importantly, he did not want to risk getting yet another detention. He waited a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear before leaving his hiding place and continuing his journey. Ten minutes later, he had safely reached the common room and headed directly for the dormitories where the other first year boys were just getting ready for bed.
"Where have you been?" Colin Anderson demanded angrily as Rick made to change in his pyjamas. "You weren't in the common room."
"I went for a stroll." Rick answered casually.
"We're not allowed out this late." Jeffrey Sanders, Colin's mate, pointed out. "If you'd gotten caught, you'd have cost Gryffindor points again."
"I didn't get caught." Rick answered, rolling his eyes in annoyance. The other boys huffed and went back to their preparations.
"A stroll?" Rigel whispered to him. "Since when do you go out for a stroll?" Rick noticed Cedric looking over, clearly interested in their conversation.
"I just felt like it." Rick replied curtly as he got into bed. He felt too spiteful towards Rigel to tell him about his discovery, after he and Terri had made it clear they felt the same about him as the other Gryffindors did. "Goodnight." Rigel still looked a bit sceptical but thankfully, didn't pursue the matter.
"Alright, goodnight." He answered.
The next few days, whenever Rigel and Terri talked about doing homework again, Rick made up an excuse and travelled back to the empty classroom to practise magic for hours on end. Each time he returned, Terri and Rigel would ask where he'd been but he managed to evade their questions and left them under the impression he was doing homework someplace else. Rick wasn't very proud of his deception but at least Rigel and Terri were acting a bit more normal around him. Lewis, however, wasn't as easily deterred and Rick caught her glaring at him every time she saw him doing something other than homework. Most of the time, Rick didn't let her bother him. She could glare all she wanted, she wasn't going to dampen his spirit. He was finally doing magic and he was actually good at it. Lewis wasn't one to let go easily, though and one evening, when Rick was enjoying a game of Exploding Snap with Rigel and Terri, she came to stand next to their table, arms crossed.
"Have you done your homework yet, O'Connell?" She demanded. Rick scarcely acknowledged her.
"In a way." He replied evasively, pretending to be absorbed by his next move. He had been practising transfiguring small objects in the abandoned classroom after all. Lewis narrowed her eyes at him.
"I infer from that answer that you, once again, decided to flaunt the rules and not do the work?"
"Merlin, Lewis. Did your mother raise you to be such an insufferable busybody?" Rick retorted annoyed.
"I don't know, did yours raise you to be a lazy, selfish oaf?" She retaliated without batting an eye. Her comment struck a chord with Rick. What did Lewis with her perfect life know about his life? He just about had it with her constant meddling. She should mind her own business and leave him alone.
"Piss off, Lewis." He growled, making it clear to her that she should drop the issue. Lewis raised her eyebrows in response.
"And being a little more polite wouldn't hurt either, you know. Or did your mother not teach you that either?" She replied unimpressed. "We didn't do anything wrong here, our only mistake was thinking you cared about our house and your friends." Rick dropped his cards and stormed off, leaving a grimacing Rigel and a confused Terri and Lewis behind. To be fair, Lewis probably didn't know that what she'd said was so inconsiderate but at the moment, Rick could not see past that. She had no right to talk about his mother. He slammed the door of the dormitory behind him, got into bed and closed the curtains. He wasn't tired yet but he wanted to be alone. Five minutes later, he heard the door open.
"Are you alright?" It was Rigel but Rick did not feel like talking to him at the moment. He didn't reply and after about half a minute, he heard Rigel leave again.
He lay awake for a long time that night, tossing and turning in his bed long after all the other boys had gone to sleep. He wasn't sure what was keeping him from sleep until he realized it was Lewis's accusation. He knew she was right, his mother would have given him an earful if she knew he was making a mess of school and Rick felt more guilty about that than he cared to admit. On the other hand, she'd never told him she went to Hogwarts and that she was a witch. If she had only told him that he was a wizard, he would never have felt as alone as he had these past three years thinking he was a freak and if she hadn't died in the first place, he wouldn't have had to live with Mad Maggie and be in this mess. So why would he do what she would want him to do? The matter continued to haunt his mind for a long time before fatigue finally overpowered him.
The next morning, Rigel and Terri looked a little apprehensive when they greeted him at breakfast. Terri especially looked a bit awkward and Rick figured Rigel had told her about his parents but thankfully, they didn't ask any questions and they were chatting and joking again as if nothing had happened. Their amicable mood disappeared however when they arrived in Transfiguration class and Rowlett asked for their homework. When Rick declared he did not have it, she completely lost it.
"You incorrigible, ungrateful boy," she scolded him in front of the entire class. "Do you not see the opportunity presented to you? I am trying to teach you one of the most difficult branches of magic and all you can do is fool around. Do you not understand what a privilege it is for a wizard to study here at Hogwarts, especially one with your background?" Rick looked up, surprised that she knew about his background and annoyed that she would bring it up in the first place and in front of everyone at that.
"Why do I even bother teaching you if you're not prepared to put in the work or is it your ambition in life to end up as an incompetent, unemployed, moronic failure? Because that is exactly what you'll become if you do not pay attention and do not learn your lessons!" Rick could not tell what made him do it, perhaps it was the still raw emotions from last night or he was overcome by the urge to prove everyone wrong but before he stopped to think it was a very bad idea, he had drawn his wand and fired the first spell he could think of at Rowlett.
"Incendio!" He bellowed. Several students shrieked in fright as a huge burst of flames sprung out of the tip of his wand. It missed Rowlett by an inch, which had exactly been Rick's intention. He did not want to see her hurt, he only wanted to show her that he was not incompetent or stupid. Rowlett, however, obviously did not see it that way. For a second, she looked completely bewildered, clearly never having expected such a reaction but she quickly recovered. Her nostrils flared and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out in suppressed rage. The class went very quiet, no one dared to even breathe.
"Come, O'Connell." Professor Rowlett commanded, her voice trembling with anger. "Lewis, you're in charge." She said as she marched to the door. Lewis looked as white as a sheet and stared, like the rest of the class, at Rick as he followed professor Rowlett out. He wondered what she meant to do to him. Would she curse him within an inch of his life or just kill him and hide the body? They marched through corridor after corridor. It didn't take Rick long before he didn't know anymore where they were. Rowlett stopped before a stone gargoyle.
"Screechsnap." She said and Rick wondered briefly what that meant until he realised it must be a password because the gargoyle moved to reveal a staircase behind it. Wordlessly, they stepped on the stairs and it spiralled upwards like an elevator until they reached a gleaming oak door with a large brass knocker.
"Wait here." Rowlett said as she knocked and entered. Rick did as he was told, wondering where she had led him to. He tried to listen to the voices coming from inside but he could not make out any words. After a minute or two, Rowlett came out again and without as much as a glance at Rick, she marched down the stairs again. Rick wondered if he was meant to follow her until a voice bade him to enter. He obeyed and as soon as he stepped inside, Rick realised he was in the Headmaster's office. It was a large, circular office – they must be in one of the many towers or turrets – and the first thing Rick noticed was that every table, stand and even a couple of chairs were packed with potted plants and flowers of all kinds, making the office look very crowded and more like a greenhouse than an office. The walls were covered with portraits of different witches and wizards, all quite old and Rick realized these must be former headmasters and -mistresses. Professor Aldebourne was sitting behind his desk, patiently waiting for Rick to take a seat.
"Good morning, Mr. O'Connell. Please, take a seat." He greeted Rick and motioned the chair in front of his desk. "I hear you gave professor Rowlett quite a scare in class just now." Rick didn't reply. "May I ask what happened?" Professor Aldebourne spoke serenely, without any trace of an accusation.
"She called me incompetent and a failure. I simply wanted to show her I wasn't." Rick answered dully. Professor Aldebourne's eyebrows rose.
"By attacking her?" He asked incredulously.
"I didn't attack her." Rick defended himself.
"Oh?"
"I wasn't aiming for her." He explained.
"I'm sure professor Rowlett will be pleased to hear it." Aldebourne replied. "Even so, you understand I cannot tolerate this kind of behaviour and there will still be consequences for your actions." He spoke in a soft authoritative manner as if he was kindly explaining something but would not tolerate any disagreement.
"But she called me a loser!" Rick couldn't help but exclaim. Why was he the only one being found at fault here?
"Professor Rowlett merely tried to point out the importance of learning and studying, though I understand her words sometimes come across as rather crude." Professor Aldebourne explained in his same serene voice. "Nevertheless, I've never known her to outright insult a student, quite the opposite in fact, she is very dedicated and always strives to get the best out of all her students and you haven't been making it easy on her, not on any other professor I hear." Rick kept quiet, already guessing what Aldebourne was hinting at. "Do you want to tell me why you haven't been handing in any homework?" Rick kept quiet. How was he to explain it?
"Do you have trouble understanding the matter?" The headmaster tried.
"No." Rick answered.
"Then what is the problem?"
"I don't see the point." He replied. Aldebourne raised his eyebrows.
"The point is to learn." He said as if it was obvious.
"I don't learn from reading books and writing papers, I learn from doing actual magic." Rick tried to explain. Aldebourne looked at him amused.
"Most people do, you know." He replied and Rick was momentarily stunned. The headmaster agreed with him? "However, you must understand by now that not all aspects of magic have to do with spellcasting. Learning Potions, Magical Theory and Herbology for example will make you a more accomplished wizard. Every year, new discoveries are made about magic, they even have a whole department devoted to the study of magic at the ministry, so reading and studying the theoretic side of magic is necessary." Aldebourne argued. "I hope you can understand that?" Rick set his jaw and didn't reply. Aldebourne may have a point but that didn't mean he had to go and discover and research, did it?
"In any case, you'll need to pass the classes to get into second year, even if you don't like them so can I trust you will strive to do better from now on?" The headmaster pressed on.
"I'll try." Rick replied curtly. Aldebourne gave Rick a piercing look that made Rick feel quite self-conscious and he knew he would at least have to try. He didn't have a clue how he was going to do it, it was hard trying to keep his mind on his essay when the subject matter didn't interest him and there were so many distractions around.
"Good." Aldebourne said after a few moments. "And then perhaps your peers will begin to accept you when you're not losing Gryffindor points." Rick looked at him non-plussed. "Professor Harewell expressed her concern that you weren't fitting in well." The headmaster explained. "She was worried about you in light of your family situation."
"My family situation?" Rick repeated dumbly, a bit flustered to learn that the headmaster seemed to know this much about him.
"The death of a parent, let alone two at such a young age must be tough." Aldebourne regarded him with pity and Rick felt his blood begin to boil.
"You don't know anything." He ground out, almost forgetting who he was talking to. What did Aldebourne know of the nightmares he suffered? What did he know of the abuse, the isolation and near starvation he had to endure back in Coakley? Tough, he said? It had been hell. Oddly, despite Rick's obvious hostility, Aldebourne remained quiet and regarded him until Rick had calmed down somewhat.
"Perhaps not." He said compassionately. "But try to think of Gryffindor House as your chance to build a new family, friends with whom you live and share your pain."
"I have friends." Rick stated curtly.
"That's good." Aldebourne said encouragingly. "And how do they feel about you losing Gryffindor points because of your behaviour?" Rick didn't reply and Aldebourne seemed to draw the correct conclusion from Rick's silence. "You ought to be careful not to lose them because of it." He advised. "Friends are the most valuable gift a person can have and from what I'm hearing, you're doing a very good job of chasing all possible candidates away." Rick remained silent. Aldebourne had a point, though he was loathe to admit it. The headmaster sighed.
"Class will almost be over by now so I suggest you head to lunch and think about what I said. Professor Rowlett will let you know what your punishment will be." Rick nodded mutely and headed for the door. "Oh and Mr. O'Connell? Do try and refrain from burning our teachers, will you? They are hard to come by." Aldebourne added with a smile.
"Yes, professor."
Rowlett wasn't lenient. She deducted fifty points from Gryffindor and gave him a week's worth of detention. She had, however, given him another opportunity to finish his essay by next class and a warning that it would be another fifty points if he failed to hand it in again. The altercation with Rowlett had other unpleasant consequences as well. It did not remain a secret that Rick had attacked professor Rowlett and by supper, not only the Gryffindors, but also the students of other houses avoided him or stared at him like he was some sort of criminal. Worst of it was that Rigel and Terri were acting very cool towards him. True, he had been avoiding them a bit as of late but they'd still had fun if they didn't have to do homework. Now they were the ones who kept their distance and that bothered him more than he cared to admit. Without them, it was like being back in Coakley. Now he gladly went to detention every evening, if only to get away from all the glares he received in the common room. The hours he spent writing lines for Rowlett gave Rick a lot of time to think about what Aldebourne had said and he came to the conclusion that he couldn't continue like he had or he'd spent every evening of his school life in detention. He resolved to start by writing at least something for Rowlett to hand in by Friday but she kept him long every evening and when he was finally able to return to the common room, he was too tired and his hand was too cramped up to write anything. Wednesday she let him go a little earlier but when he returned to the common room, it was quite roudy. Gryffindor's quidditch team captain Sean Dobbs had picked that evening to introduce his new players for the year and they were making quite the party of it. It was useless to try and concentrate with that much noise going on. On Thursday evening he could not postpone it any longer and even though the hour was late, he forced himself to sit at one of the tables and open his books. He leafed through a copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration for inspiration but the chatter in the common room was incredibly distracting and he had to reread every sentence at least thrice before he understood what it meant. Hour by hour, the common room emptied until Rick was alone. His eyes were itching from fatigue and the diagrams in his book were giving him a headache. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to block out the pounding in his head. The numbers and diagrams danced in front of his eyes, mocking him, remaining just out of his reach. He tried to chase them but they kept eluding his grasp and then Rowlett appeared, laughing hatefully at his attempts and making the formulas dangle in front of him, only to yank them away when he reached for them.
Rick awoke from someone shaking his shoulder and through blurry eyes he could just make out the form of Cedric.
"We're going to be late for Magical Theory." He said and Rick shot upright in his chair. He'd fallen asleep trying to do his homework. He looked down at his parchment which only contained the title and a few notes jotted down here and there. Rowlett would never accept it and his heart sank. He'd failed.
"Are you ok?" Cedric asked when Rick groaned. Rick had almost forgotten he was still standing there.
"Not really." He replied, banging his fist on the table in frustration before standing to collect his books and hurrying to Magical Theory. He spent the entire class thinking of what he would say to professor Rowlett and didn't hear a word of professor Tuft's lecture. Rigel and Terri must have known something was bothering him because they kept throwing him worried glances. He avoided their gazes, feeling too guilty to meet their eyes. Why hadn't he just gotten started on that paper earlier in the week? Why did he have to postpone it? When the time eventually came for his Transfiguration class, Rick's nerves reached an all-time high and he had only just entered the classroom when Rowlett addressed him.
"O'Connell."
"Professor, I-" Rick tried to explain but Rowlett interrupted him.
"I am pleased to receive your essay. Good work." Rick stared at her with open mouth. He couldn't figure out what to say. In Rowlett's hand was a piece of parchment with what appeared to be an essay and on top of it he could clearly make out his name.