'That was fun.'
I enjoyed Quidditch more than I thought I would. Maybe the surrounding enthusiasm rubbed off, maybe it was the sight of the chaser getting hit square in the chest by the beater, or perhaps the almost-brawl after the match between the students of both houses.
Now, the idea of playing Quidditch didn't seem as boring as it once did. But no seeker. Either a chaser or a beater.
After the excitement of the match wears out, I make my way to the library.
'Today I am going to cast a spell, no matter what!'
With this grand ambition, I enter the hallowed halls of knowledge, pick my selection of books, find a secluded corner, and settle down with my wand in hand.
'Now, the first spell- Lumos.'
...…..
*THUD*
I wake up with a startle.
"The library is not for sleeping." Hermione reprimands me before taking a seat beside me.
"I wasn't sleeping…. Just meditating." I say with a straight face.
Her face told me she wasn't buying it, but what can she do? Sue me?
"Anyway, what are you reading today?" She asks and grabs a book from my pile before I can stop her. "Magic for dummies. That's an odd title."
She puts it down and picks up another, "Magic for the Hopeless", and then another "Simple Spells for Simpletons", and another, "Flick and Swish, Baby Steps to Wizardry, Why Your Spells Fail."
After reading all the titles, she puts them down and stares at me. As if wanting an explanation, an excuse.
"Just wanted to check them out for fun." I say and get up, gathering the books.
"Cast a charm." She puts her hand atop the book I'm picking up and says.
"What?" I try to brush her hand aside.
"Cast a charm." She picks up the book.
"Why so suddenly?" This is bad.
"You were always looking at advanced spells for our year. Every book you read had explosions or something flashy or dangerous." She speaks as she stares at me, "But after that…. incident, you changed."
"Well, I almost died, so yes, I probably did. Is that so wrong? Can I not read books that don't contain blasting something apart?"
"No, nothing wrong with it. You can read anything you want. You reading about xxxx classified magic beasts, normal. You not reading books that blast something apart, normal. But you reading–" She looks at the book in her hand, "Simple Spells for Simpletons, not normal."
"Please I just wanted to see it because the title was interesting."
"And so were the other titles, like 'Magic for Dummies'? And this reminded me of something. Yesterday at dinner, Parvati was telling me how Padma told her that you failed to cast the levitation charm in class."
"It was not simple levitation, it included a stack of books." I say in my defence.
"Yes, I know. Still, you not managing to do it, after all the spells you used to do previously is strange. And not to mention" She reaches inside her robe and pulls out her wand.
Aiming it at me.
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*
I bent to pick up the books I dropped, trying to keep my hands from trembling.
"And you trembling at the sight of a wand. It is especially noticeable when it is pointed at you."
"And so, anyone would if you point a wand at them. I have no idea what spell you might use."
"Yes, but no one reacts like that. 'You' didn't act like that."
"So Ansh," She points her wand away from me and says. "Cast a charm. Any charm, even a simple levitation charm."
"I'm not in the mood." I say, like what options do I have?
"I will go to Madam Pomfrey to tell her something is wrong with you."
Her words hit me like a train. Me not performing in class has been ignored till now, but the second any of the professors doubt something, it can go disastrously wrong.
I stand there, thinking about any way out of this mess. Seeing me standing still, she gets up and starts to leave.
"Okay the, I'm telling Madam Pomfrey something is wrong with you."
"No wait!" I stop her.
"Okay, I'll show you."
She turns around and sits down.
'My dear wand, please don't fail me. Merlin and Morgana, please help me. All the gods looking over, please, just light up the wand."
*Lumos*
...And nothing.
I nervously watch Hermione. She stares at the wand tip, then gets up and starts walking away.
"Hermione, wait!" I hurriedly go after her. "Please don't tell Pomfrey. Please, don't do this."
"Why? Ansh, this could be something serious. You should get checked out."
"I know. And I will." I stand in front of her, blocking her way. "Just not today. Trust me, I am trying to get it work."
"This could be some kind of magical illness. Why would you not get it checked out sooner? If it is something serious, the sooner we find out, the better it will be for you. These things shouldn't be delayed."
"I get what you are saying, but please don't go. I request you. I beg you, Hermione, please." Without me realising, tears begin to flow from my eyes.
I try to stop them and wipe them away, but they don't stop. Just the thinking of what they'll do to me is horrifying enough for me to….
Hermione, perhaps seeing me cry, stops.
Hermione POV
Seeing him try and stop his tears, make me halt my steps. I watch as a look of pure horror is there on his face, as he tries to stop me.
'But I am doing it for him. If this is serious, it is better for treatment if we find out fast.'
But as I look at him, my resolve wavers.
At the end, I hug tightly.
"Okay, I won't go to Pomfrey."
He doesn't say anything, just continues to cry on my shoulder. Saying 'Thank you' over and over, as he hugs me tightly.
'I don't know what he is so scared of, but I will try to find a way to make it go away.' I think as we stand there in the castle.
'Luckily, no one is passing by at the moment, or this would be an awkward situation to explain.'
I gently rub his back as he calms down. His tears turning to sobs.
After a while, he separates and I feel the dampness on my shirt. He rubs his eyes and then we both stand there.
'What do we do now?'
"uhhh, I won't go to Pomfrey for now." He nods and I continue, "But you have to tell me what's going on."
I can see the hesitation on face instantly.
"Look, I promise not to tell anybody. Or to make fun of you. I just want to help you if I can."
"You can't."
"We don't know that. Tell me first, then we can think of something."
"You just can't." he says, and I hear desperation in his voice. "No one can. That's just how it is. I can't cast magic, any magic. What solution do you think exists for that?"
"But there must be a reason. If we tell the adults, surely they can figure it out. Or maybe some book in the library can help us."
"Hermione, the second you tell anyone I will be dead." He looks at me and says.
Something about his eyes made me take back whatever response I was planning to give. He seemed to….. believe in those words. Like he was sure it will be as he says. That he will... die if anyone finds out.
"You talk about some book? For the past week I have scoured every book I can find, that even seemed mildly related to it, and nothing. I know of no way."
His eyes are downcast as he says it.
"Oh, who am I kidding? I will be found out one day, if not today, then tomorrow. One day, the Professor isn't going to overlook my inability to cast magic in class. One day, they'll ask questions I can't answer. It is going to be over anyway." He says, and I listen quietly. Not sure what to say to comfort him.
'He seems to be in… pain.' For some reason, that is what it seems like.
"You know what? I am sorry for stopping you. Go on, tell Pomfrey about it if you want. I'll be there in my room if they ask about me." He says and walks away.
As he walked away, something inside me screamed to stop him.
To call him back, to promise I wouldn't tell anyone, to promise he wasn't alone.
But the words stayed trapped in my throat.
So I just stood there — watching him disappear up the staircase — carrying a weight I couldn't lift, and a fear I couldn't understand.
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A/N: I didn't plan to go this dark. But once I started writing, it flowed naturally.
But I want to hear from you. What do you think about this chapter?
Just say something dammit (╬▔皿▔)╯