If you want to read ahead, you can check out my Patreón @
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The link is also in the synopsis.
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[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]
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It was a time of the year that Quinn really enjoyed. Just as his second year when he completed the Icy Vault; this year, he had completed the Aquatic Vault, and now he was feeling as cool as a cucumber.
There was spring in his steps and dance in his moves. At random times, he would break into a dance and enjoy the vibe he was feeling. The same thing happened when he finished the Icy Vault.
While he very much enjoyed going through the vaults, there was always a sense of urgency in the back of Quinn's head in which he needed to complete one vault a year.
So when he wrapped up the Aquatic Vault, Quinn felt he was done for the year. If he had to draw a very loose parallel, then the cursed vaults to him were what examinations were to students. When they ended, students rejoiced like they were part of a nation that just got independence from an oppressive power. The only difference was that Quinn enjoyed the time he spent down in the vaults, unlike many students who didn't enjoy exams.
And for the first time in months, Quinn was free, so he took out his violin, and with it, decided to cast some magic to lighten up that extra-high tension exam mood that plagued the Ravenclaw house every year.
He rested the violin on his shoulder and his fingers on the strings; the other hand grasped the bow. He then gently descended on the strings to play a vibrant tune with sweet calm tones.
At first, the sound was only audible inside Quinn's dorm room and partially audible to the nearby rooms, but as the minutes progressed, the fiddle of the violin traveled all across the boys' dorm.
Some of the boys didn't appreciate the sudden disturbance when they studied for the exams, which were close, but no one got up from their seats and asked the player to stop; something in the sound made them keep still and listen.
In his room, Quinn smiled with his eyes closed. Seeing that no one was here to stop him from playing meant that the magic was working and, thus, he could increase the radius.
Streams of magic traveled down from Quinn's arms to the violin and bow, and the sound started to flow with an extra something behind it. The slow tempo mixed with magic carried all the way to the common room and the girls' dormitory on the other side, and filled the entire Ravenclaw dorms with Quinn's music.
Anyone who heard the music felt the tension drain from their bones, and calm seep into their minds and bodies. The slow sound made them forget about the stress of the incoming exams. That moment made them stop running, stop and kick back to get a relaxing pit-stop.
Quinn, who had his eyes closed while playing the violin, mixed two types of magic together to create his desired effect.
He blended mind magic together with the enchanting sorcery of sound and music to create magical melodies. Using the wings provided by the harmonies, Quinn spread the influence of the mind arts to sway the mood of those who listened.
This idea came from two sources: the first was, of course, the dreaded Sin vault, which had messed with his mind and emotion on a deep level; the second inspiration was from his mind magic teacher, Alan D. Baddeley, who had once used mind magic to forcefully calm him down.
Like Alan, Quinn subtly altered the listeners' present mood. It wasn't as intrusive as the Sin Vault, but did reside on the same mental magic line.
The use of sound magic was to increase the range and effectiveness of magic. Quinn, who had studied illusion magic, knew how to influence the human senses and recognized its efficacy while manipulating a target.
People would subconsciously concentrate on sounds, and this was especially true for magic. So when Quinn laced the music with mental magic, the listeners got quickly influenced because their minds were concentrating on the music. Of course, there were downsides to this usage— it wasn't particularly effective when people were at guard against it, or if they had earplugs on and couldn't listen to the music, or were outright deaf.
'Alright, let's hype up this performance,' thought Quinn, and the tune went through a drastic change. The rhythm started to build up, and the sound turned from gentle and calming to upbeat and exciting.
Everyone in Ravenclaw started to tap their feet and bob their head to the rhythm of the cheerful tune. Slowly they were being guided from the calmness of the earlier piece to the bop of the current one.
The person who felt the most was Quinn himself, who channeled his current spirit into the animated funk. His moves while he played the violin were wild and crazy.
'Oh, yeah, let's blow the roof off this place. Come on, move it~,' thought Quinn as he continued to play; the more he got into playing, the more freely his magic flowed, making everyone who was listening to the melody, felt their hearts beat faster with excitement and exhilaration.
'Rum, pum, tum, and we are done~,' thought Quinn as he finished his piece and bowed to no one.
"WOOHOO!!!!"
"I'm going to ace these exams!"
"Bring it on! I'm going to smash the O.W.L.s!"
"I'm going to get a girlfriend!"
"Exams are nothing! I'm the smartest girl alive!"
"Wrackspurts!"
"I will recreate Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem!"
"Where is Professor Flitwick. I challenge him to a duel!"
Quinn's piece had left the people in a hyped-up state and filled with confidence and enthusiasm. It caused them to feel exhilarated and happy.
Quinn smiled at the shouts coming from the common room and the dorms around him and knew that his showcase of mental and sound magic was a huge success.
Looking at the violin and bow in his hands, Quinn nodded with a grin, "Yeah~, I still got it."
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A shady figure stood under the shade of a tree looking at the abandoned house with the windows and doors boarded up.
"The Shrieking Shack," muttered the figure looking at the building, which was supposed to be the most haunted in Britain. "To think this shack would be hiding something of such importance."
Rivers Lock smirked at the thought, "It seems this building is just like me. And that's why it's going to get me what I want."
The smirk from his face dropped like it was never there, and he thought about the circumstances that brought him here.
"A bunch of cowards, they are. How can they be scared when I'm planning their moves."
Rivers Lock was the one who created and managed the group known as Novellus Accionites. Just within a couple years, he had been able to gather people together into his banner, and he did it without ever showing his face.
But the series of raids from the Auror Office had instilled fear in the members of Novellus Accionites, and when he tried to bring down the order, he didn't get much of a favorable response.
"I didn't ask them to go to those gatherings," Rivers clicked his tongue in distaste. "If they wanted to mingle together like fools, they could've at least made sure they weren't tracked."
The disadvantage of being a hidden leader was that he couldn't be involved too deeply without being in danger of revealing his identity. As such, he couldn't control what his followers did outside of the plans he drafted for them.
He wanted people to be good with the Disillusionment charm. People who would be able to get around without others noticing. But all he got was some dumb bozos who were absolutely shit at magic, who were complete rock brains and didn't have an ounce of cunning in them.
But this opportunity was too critical for him to miss. The school was about to end soon, and if he didn't act, he would've to wait for the next few months to get the next chance.
Rivers didn't have those months. The Aurors were striking hard on his minions, and he couldn't be sure what would be the situation down the line.
And this opportunity was what he needed to gain the momentum back. If he could pull this off, then the world would know about Novellus Accionites, and all the members who refused his calls like cowards would come scurrying back.
"I guess I will have to do this on my own. This is too important for me to leave it to the idiots," muttered Rivers. He decided that he would be going inside on his own with a couple more members that were at his disposal.
The gears in his mind turned as he continued to stare at the abandoned and decrypt shack.
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- (Scene Break) -
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Quinn shimmied his way to the hospital wing with a rabbit in a cage. The rabbit had been very sick, infected with rabbit calicivirus, which was an illness that had an incubation period of 48-72 hours.
Poppy had given him the brown rabbit and told him that he had a day and a half to return with a perfectly healthy rabbit. He knew nothing about calicivirus; it was a type of hemorrhagic disease virus. So he had only 48-72 hours to learn everyone about the disease and then heal the rabbit before it died.
The research had been easy but lengthy, so by the time Quinn was done learning about the rabbit calicivirus, the rabbit was suffering from lethargy and fever.
Quinn eradicated the disease from the brown rabbit and then healed the fluffy bunny. He did it within the confines of the time Poppy had given him; the rabbit was back to new in twenty-four hours.
'Poppy is slowly getting used to my learning speed. If I was still spending time at the vault, it probably would've taken me a day and a half.'
Quinn walked across the tiled floor of the hospital wing towards Poppy's office as he looked to the sides at the beds to see if she was tending to some students.
And at the end of the wing hallway, Quinn stopped because he came across two people who he wasn't expecting to see in the hospital wing.
"Daphne. Astoria..." said Quinn, finding the Greengrass sisters with Astoria sitting on the bed while Daphne sat on a stool by her side. Multiple thoughts ran through his mind within the second he first laid eyes on the sister. What came out of his mouth was: "Have you seen Madam Pomfrey? I have something to talk with her."
"She is out for the moment. Went down to the dungeon to meet Professor Snape to get some potion ingredients," replied Daphne, and while Quinn couldn't get a read from her expression, her body language told him that she was feeling uncomfortable.
"You just missed her. She went out a minute ago," chimed in Astoria with a smile on her face.
Quinn turned his eyes to the younger sister, and his stone-grey orbs noticed a pale pallor on her skin, a thin sheen of sweat on her face; her whites of eyes were muddled, and many other signs that Quinn had learned to pick up from his time with Poppy learning Healing Magic.
'She is obviously sick. The fact Poppy had to go out to obtain potion ingredients means this isn't a common ailment. I wonder what plagues her?' thought Quinn before smiling and asking, "May I join you two, ladies?"
Daphne opened her mouth to speak something, but Astoria beat it to her.
"Yes, please. You're free to join us," spoke Astoria with a smile on her face.
Daphne glanced at her sister with an inscrutable expression that Astoria ignored, as she continued to smile towards Quinn.
Quinn nodded and pulled a stool from beneath the bed. He took a seat and set the rabbit cage down on the floor. Astoria was sick, and Quinn didn't want to make it worse by introducing a rabbit to the girl.
'She does look the type who loves fluffy and cute things.'
"How have you two been?" asked Quinn, opening up the conversation. "I hope you two are feeling fine, nothing serious, I hope." Quinn knew the topic would come with their location, so he decided to use it as an opener.
"Thank you for asking; we are doing fine, just a small dip in health," replied Daphne, matching eyes with Quinn.
'Ah, it is serious, then,' thought Quinn and then he heard Daphne speak up. 'She must be worried.' Even though she had used 'we' in his answer, all three knew who she was talking to.
"You don't have to lie. We can't change anything about it, so why hide it?" sighed Astoria and softly glanced at her older sister. She turned to Quinn and spoke without hesitation. "I have-"
"Astoria!"
"No, I'm telling him. There is nothing to hide, and I don't get why you get to decide. I'm the one who has it. I should be able to decide who to tell and who not to," answered Astoria in a firm tone, which was less weaker than her usual voice.
Daphne softly sighed and closed her eyes in acceptance. She knew her little sister better than anyone and knew that when Astoria decided to do something, then even their parents wouldn't be able to change her mind.
"I have a condition known as 'blood malediction'. A 'blood malediction' is a curse of the darkest type, passed down to the descendants for generations. Even the most common type of blood malediction is known to stay in the family for half a century," said Astoria with a smile on her face as she was retelling a fascinating story. "One of our ancestors was cursed with the curse, and from then on, the curse resurfaces even though it skips some generations. Our great-grandfather had it, and for two generations, our family was free of it, but it turned out that our generation wasn't so lucky because I got it."
Quinn held his expression in place as he continued to listen to Astoria, and while the younger Greengrass spoke, Quinn felt the older sister glance at him from time to time.
"There are many types of blood malediction: the one I have causes debilitation, leaving me frail and sickly. From time to time, I suffer from these lapses in health that will leave me in a very fragile state."
The usually young and bubbly of the Greengrass sisters smiled helplessly and sighed, "Unfortunately, the curse also reduces my lifespan. None of my ancestors who suffered from the curse ever lived past fifty."
Quinn silently listened to Astoria tell her story without uttering a word, and while he heard all of it, two things stood out to him.
The blood malediction and the resignation in her voice hidden behind her smile.
"I see. So you have a blood malediction. Now, that is rare, isn't it?" started Quinn, and as he spoke, Quinn removed his Hogwarts robe from his shoulder. "A curse that carries down to the descendants. Descendants that suffer from their ancestors' mistakes or misfortune. I guess if you can get your ancestors' fortunes, then getting their misfortune is a fair part of the deal."
"And while getting the curse is unfortunate, and I might seem presumptuous for saying it, I don't think I like the fact that you have accepted you'll never get rid of the curse."
Quinn folded up the sleeves on both of his hands and secured them in place so they wouldn't slip.
"Astoria, don't get me wrong, I like the fact that you don't live your life in despair about your unfortunate circumstances, but your reason is wrong. You should happily live because you know that one day your curse will be erased and you will get to live just as everyone else does— not because you are trying to live the most of your limited life."
He smiled a wide grin as he spoke, "Where is the fun in that? If you accept that then there is no hope. That's no fun at all."
Quinn put out both of his hands towards Astoria and gestured with his finger as he asked, "Give me your hands."
Astoria and Daphne looked at Quinn with bewilderment. The light-hearted tone that Quinn spoke with made it seem that he was not taking this clearly heavy condition seriously. But the words did make some sense to them, and that left both the girls confused.
"Come on, now, don't be scared. I won't eat you. Give me your hands," asked Quinn once more.
Astoria looked at Daphne for guidance, but the look in Daphne's eyes reflected the same confusion as her. So she hesitantly placed both her hands in Quinn's.
"Excellent, thank you for trusting me," smiled Quinn and gently grasped Astoria's petite hands. "Now, let me show you some nifty magic. I think you two will like this." He pointed at his and Astoria's joined hands.
The two Greengrass sisters looked down and witnessed the glowing red veins on Quinn's visible arms and hands.
"Astoria, I don't think you realize that we, who possess magic, are in the presence of something truly grand and extraordinary."
The two girls watched with wide eyes as the glowing red veins seemed to creep from Quinn's hands to Astoria's hands through the connections of their hands.
"Magic has infinite potential, infinite! There is nothing that magic can't accomplish. Those who possess magic can be saints, gods, devils, or anything they want if they understand and know how to use what was so graciously given to them."
The glowing red veins traveled up Astoria's arm, and as Quinn spoke, her entire body was covered in fiery red glowing veins. Astoria could feel a comfortable heat all around her body.
"I know this curse has been in your family for generations. And in all that time, there hasn't been a cure to this ailment that you don't deserve. But losing hope is losing the battle before even starting the fight."
The glowing red veins on Quinn's forearms and Astoria's entire body turned into a sparkling blue color, showing a beautiful charm to the world.
Astoria, who had been feeling a comfortable heat, now with the color change, felt a refreshing cool feeling envelope her body. She closed her eyes because it was the most pleasant she had ever felt. It felt like she was swimming in cool water, and she let go of everything and simply enjoying the bliss as she listlessly floated in the coolness.
But then her eyes snapped open as she felt the frailness and sickness lessen and slowly disappear from her body. It wasn't just that, but the true shock was that her own delicate constitution felt strength and vitality that she had never felt before.
She had never felt so... lively. Astoria felt like she could do anything right now.
Astoria looked up from her hands and looked at Quinn, who was smiling with confidence.
"Astoria Greengrass, I, Quinn West, here and now, declares this to you. From this moment onwards. I assure you that as long as I am alive, you will never ever again feel the presence of the blood curse."
Quinn's smile widened, and as did the eyes of Astoria.
"I will ensure that you will never suffer and feel weak because of the blood malediction. You will live a long life, and it will be a healthy life just like anyone else's."
Astoria felt Quinn's grip slightly tighten as he announced.
"It's my promise to you, and I will never forget it."
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Quinn West - MC - Promise of a lifetime.
Astoria Greengrass - Cursed - Received a promise.
Daphne Greengrass - Worried Elder Sister - Witnessed something magical.
Rivers Lock - Prideful - Planning something big.
Editor - AlanL - Worried. (;ŏ﹏ŏ)
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If you have any ideas regarding the magic you want to see in this fiction or want to offer some ideas regarding the progression. Move onto the DISCORD Server and blast those ideas.
The link is in the synopsis.
https://discord.gg/w5dJ82SfMr
If you want to read ahead, you can check out my Patreón @
[ https://www.patreón.com/fictiononlyreader ]
The link is also in the synopsis.
.
[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]
.
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Astoria watched as Quinn's hand left her, the glowing veins disappear and the glow recede.
She lifted her hands and clenched her fists, and surprisingly, she was able to clamp them hard instead of the weak fist that she usually made while suffering from the blood curse. Her body also no longer felt weak and fatigued, like she was feeling a few minutes ago.
'... I feel strong, but how?' she thought and looked up at the reason this was happening, who was pulling down his sleeves and buttoning them back into place.
"... Astoria?"
She turned her face to her sister Daphne, still spinning from the shock and surprise.
"A-Are you alright? You're crying. Is something wrong; do you feel well," asked Daphne in surprise and worry.
Astoria touched her face, and indeed she felt her fingers stained wet with tears. "N-No, I-I am fine. Everything is fine," said Astoria, with her voice cracking with emotion.
And with that, the dam broke, and Astoria started to cry, startling both Quinn and Daphne.
Quinn, who was putting back his outer robe, became startled when he heard Astoria break down and looked at Daphne for assistance.
Daphne leaped into action to her sister's side on the bed and hugged her close to provide comfort. Astoria grabbed onto her sister and hugged her tight.
Quinn felt like he was intruding on a family moment, just as he did at the start of the year, so he once again stood very still to become invisible while his magic silently fixed his clothes.
Astoria calmed down and gently pulled herself out of Daphne's embrace. She turned to face Quinn and swiftly got off the bed to trap Quinn in a very tight hug, surprising the boy with the strength coming from the small figure.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..." repeated Astoria while trying to meld herself into Quinn.
Quinn gently hugged the girl, who he felt was trying to perform a fusion with him and patted her on the back. "Don't mention it. Also, don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
Astoria nodded into his shirt and gradually stopped crying before separating from Quinn. She looked up towards Quinn and smiled as he had told her to.
"See, that looks much better," smiled Quinn and booped Astoria on her nose. "Also, we need to talk, so get back on the bed."
Astoria nodded before climbing back onto the bed, and from the way she was sitting, anyone could tell that she was feeling much better.
Quinn sat back down on his stool and spoke, "Now, I fulfilled what I promised, but-" He stared at both the Greengrass sisters and continued after a pause. "- you can't tell anyone outside your family about what I did."
Daphne and Astoria immediately had confused expressions on their faces. They couldn't understand why Quinn would want to hide the fact that he could erase the blood curse.
"I'm not supposed to know what I did. What I used to repress the curse isn't looked positively at by the world," spoke Quinn and rolled his eyes at the end of the sentence.
"What do you mean?"
Quinn knew that if he wanted to continue to treat Astoria, he would need to tell them what he was doing. She needed to know what he was using to help her. "The curse is called 'blood malediction', so I used the same branch of magic to repress the effects of the curse... I used blood magic."
Daphne and Astoria's eyes widened because they knew what Quinn was implying. Blood magic was considered dark magic and something not to dwell in; thag branch of magic was associated with evil sacrifices, to defiance nature in twisted ways, cruelty, and was seen as forbidden theurgy.
The blood malediction, as the name suggested, was a type of blood magic. It was the classic type of magic which was seen as dark magic.
"You might not know this, but I have been studying Healing Magic with Madam Pomfrey, so she especially can't know that I used blood magic to help you. If she knew what I did, she would definitely stop teaching me, and I don't want that," stated Quinn, and he was serious about the relationship that he had with Poppy and didn't want this to jeopardize what he had built over the years.
"Of course, we all know that blood magic is considered dark magic. But I couldn't give two hoots about that. Magic isn't dark or light; the labels are our creation. Your ancestor was cursed with blood magic, and now I used the same magic to cure you. This just shows you that magic can transform into whatever the user desires."
"Unfortunately, others and even you two might not see things as I do, and that is fine because I don't care. But I don't want others to know that I can use it because it will bring me a lot of trouble, which I would like to avoid," sighed Quinn when he thought about society's views. "So if you don't want to continue with this, I completely understand, but then I'd have to pretend that this never happened."
"When Madam Pomfrey returns, you can simply tell her that you are feeling better. She won't know why you suddenly feel better if she doesn't know what to look for, so if you don't tell her, this entire treatment will go unnoticed. She will scratch her head for a while but, after a while, she'll attibute this to the curse's unpredictability, and you will be free."
Quinn folded his hands over his lap and asked, "So what is your decision?"
"Any side-effects and/or backlashes that may come up because of this treatment?" Daphne inquired because of the nature of the magic.
"As long as I'm not kicked in the face while I treating Astoria, she will not suffer from complications of any kind."
The magic that Quinn had used on Astoria was a combination of his knowledge on three separate sources. He knew about blood magic from having studied for two years and he had never stopped learning it since then; healing magic was in his current active rotation; and the last was the most recent enlightenment in water magic.
One of the components that made up blood was plasma and constituted more than fifty percent of blood. And ninety percent of plasma was water.
Having mastery over water magic didn't allow blood manipulation because it was closely tied to magic and a being's life force. But because Quinn knew both blood and water magic, he could apply the knowledge about water's connection to life and transfer it to blood, which was also connected to the life force.
Quinn had a firm grasp on what he had done to Astoria; as long as he wasn't uprooted during the treatment, there were zero percent chances that he would fail.
Astoria, who was a first-year and didn't consider herself knowledgeable about magic, left the decision to Daphne.
Daphne thought for a while before answering, "We will have to ask our parents before we make any decision."
"Of course, I have no complaints if you consult your parents. Talk it out, and if you feel comfortable, I will continue to help Astoria out," nodded Quinn. "From my estimates, Astoria will be fine for another month and a week before the curse surfaces again. So get in contact with me before that."
The Greengrass sisters nodded in response.
Quinn got up from his stool, picked up the rabbit cage from the floor, and placed it on the bed. "Good, I think it's time for me to leave. When Madam Pomfrey returns, please pass her this cage and tell her that I dropped by."
But then he suddenly turned his head back and whispered, "Forget it, she is here." He turned back to the sisters and reminded, "Hush on what happened."
A mischievous glint sparkled Quinn's eyes as a grin made its way to Quinn's face. He picked up the rabbit cage in his hands and jumped out from behind the curtains that covered the view of the bed.
"Madam Pomfrey, I'm here~!"
Poppy, who had just entered the hospital wing after a trip to the dungeons and was thinking about the potion she needed to brew for the poor Astoria Greengrass, suddenly and unexpectedly came face to face with her student, Quinn West.
"Kyaaaah!"
A surprised cry filled the hall as the small crate of ingredients she had brought dropped.
Quinn, who wasn't expecting her to be holding things, moved very quickly and levitated the crate and all items inside it before any of them hit the floor and made them fly towards him. Now, he had the rabbit cage in one hand and the ingredient crate in the other.
Poppy calmed down and was now glaring death beams at Quinn with a palm above her heart.
Quinn blinked and half-chuckled in nervousness, "... Oops."
"Quinn... stand still and let me pelt you with stinging hexes. I promise it will hurt a lot, so just stand here," huffed Poppy and took out her wand with hands shaking in anger.
"Madam Pomfrey, you can hurt me later, but I believe you will want to check up on your patient. She tells me that her condition has suddenly changed," informed Quinn in an attempt to not get hit by stinging hexes.
Poppy's anger vanished in an instant, and she hurried towards Astoria's bed to check up on her.
"What happened? How are you feeling? Did it get worse," asked Poppy as soon as she laid her eyes upon Astoria and moved closer to observe her.
"No, no, it didn't get worse. I'm feeling much better," beamed Astoria, and her eyes subconsciously moved towards Quinn at the back.
Poppy frowned at the response, but as she checked the signs, she did see that Astoria's complexion had improved, and she looked much more lively. Poppy cast some spells to check on her condition, and similar results came up; Astoria had indeed recovered, and the previous signs she had diagnosed were no longer evident.
And just like Quinn had said, Poppy fussed for a while, but when she wasn't able to see any negative signs, Poppy concluded that Astoria was indeed healthy.
"Stay here today for observation. If there are no complications, you can leave," concluded Poppy.
"That's good, isn't it, Astoria?" grinned Quinn before turning to Poppy and speaking, "Madam Pomfrey, here you go, this is the rabbit you gave me yesterday. I have cured and healed him, and he is ready to hop and hump like any other bunny."
Quinn suddenly set the cage into Poppy's hands and waved goodbye to everybody. "See you all later. Madam Pomfrey, I will drop by tomorrow." He had to get out here before Poppy remembered that she needed to kill Quinn with stinging hexes.
Astoria waved back before speaking to Daphne as she pushed. "I'm fine now; you should also leave." She faced Quinn and said, "Quinn, would you escort my sister?"
Quinn, who was about to bolt, stopped and nodded. "Sure, I wouldn't mind." He turned to Daphne and asked, "Shall we?"
"Are you sure you don't need me here?" asked Daphne.
"No, I'm fine, and Madam Pomfrey is here to take care of me," smiled Astoria and once gave her a sister a little push.
Daphne observed Astoria for a moment before nodding. She walked towards Quinn and the two left the hospital wing.
"Hmm, should I say it?" Astoria looked at the now-empty hospital wing and smacked her lips.
She then faced Madam Pomfrey and spoke with a mischievous shine in her eyes, "Quinn escaped from the pinching hexes."
"He thinks that, but when he comes back tomorrow, I'm going to get him," snorted Poppy as she went through the ingredient crate to see if anything was broken.
Astoria giggled before asking, "Anyway, Madam Pomfrey, what do you do in a day as the Matron?"
Poppy suddenly had a bad feeling, and when she looked up, she saw Astoria with a big smile on her face.
She immediately knew the reason for the bad feeling, and the reason was the smile on Astoria's face was the same one Quinn had had when he came to the hospital wing and wanted to talk.
"Oh, no. You're just like him, aren't you?"
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- (Scene Break) -
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Daphne and Quinn walked out of the hospital wing and, as Astoria had asked of him, Quinn escorted Daphne to the dungeons.
He looked at Daphne and noticed that there was a lost expression on her face.
"What are you thinking about?"
Daphne looked up at Quinn and stared at him for a few seconds before opening up.
"I want to become a healer."
"A noble profession," responded Quinn shortly because he could see that Daphne had more to say.
"I was seven years old when Astoria showed the first sign of the curse. Our parents clearly explained what the curse was, and it took a while to understand the seriousness of the condition. But when I did, I decided to become a healer so that I would one day cure the blood curse from Astoria."
There was a faraway look on her face while Daphne continued to speak.
"As the years passed, I saw Astoria get sick every month because of the curse, and that strengthened my desire to become a healer," she paused for a second and took a deep breath before continuing. "She is the complete opposite of me. So lively, cheery, bright. She's a person that always wants to run to discover new things. But she can't do any of that because the curse will reemerge if she gets too physically active."
"Her curse always gets in the way of doing the things she loves. She likes the outdoors but she can't go outside because she gets sick. She'd love to run around and fly on the broom all day long but she can't because of that curse," she turned to Quinn and looked Quinn straight in the eyes. "Do you know we were worried about whether she would be able to get around Hogwarts with all the corridors and staircase without the curse reemerging? That's how much the curse affects her. We even worried if she would be able to attend the school."
Quinn gently directed Daphne to the side of the corridor and stopped walking because Daphne was feeling very emotional right now. Something that surprised Quinn because this was the most emotion he had seen from Daphne.
"Are you sure that Astoria will be free from the blood curse as long as you continue to treat her?" asked Daphne, and to assert the seriousness, she grabbed Quinn's wrist and maintained firm eye contact with him.
"I'm assuming that you're wondering whether the curse will reemerge if she gets more active?" asked Quinn.
"Yes."
"No matter what she does, even if she somehow manages to move around so much that she collapses because of fatigue, the curse won't flare. As long as I continue to treat her, the curse won't ever reemerge. Daphne, if I continue to treat Astoria, she won't even face the fifty-year age limit; she will, without a doubt, live way past it and continue to her natural lifespan."
Daphne exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"I can tell you right now that if what you say is true, then our parents will agree no matter what. As long as this doesn't hurt Astoria, they will come to you and plead that you take care of her."
Quinn noticed that Daphne didn't have a smile on her face even though her body had lost that tension that she had before Quinn answered her question.
"What is it? Is there still something on your mind? If you have any doubts, then ask me because I can answer them."
Daphne leaned against the wall, stayed silent, and stared at the floor for a good while before starting.
"I wanted to become a healer because I could cure Astoria. But with you, I don't need to, do I? I… Now I feel a little lost and even though it might sound silly, a little sad."
Ever since she understood Astoria's condition, Daphne had made it her life goal to become a healer to cure Astoria. And even though she was happy that Astoria would live a healthy life, Daphne wanted to be the one who helped her, but now with Quinn, that was over.
"I think you are misunderstanding something here, Daphne," spoke Quinn, causing Daphne to look at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Astoria isn't cured. I'm simply repressing her curse, and that isn't a cure. If I stop, she will once again start to live as she has been until now."
Daphne frowned because she knew all this but wasn't following what Quinn was trying to say.
"Life is unpredictable. I can die on a random day, and that would start the clock on Astoria's life. She can be struck with a curse that might hinder my ability to work blood magic without making things worse. As I said, magic has infinite potential, and that also means that things can go wrong in so many ways."
Daphne's eyes widened, and she now got what Quinn was trying to convey. What Quinn had wasn't a permanent cure, and as he said, if things went wrong, Astoria would return to square one.
"So don't let go of that dream just yet because I have no idea how to actually cure Astoria. I might figure it out one day, but that day isn't anywhere soon. So, if you become a healer, you might be able to figure it out before me," shrugged Quinn.
He was learning magic from an all-around perspective and didn't have any plans to specialize. Quinn wanted to learn everything and master everything, but that would take a long time, and that would also delay the discovering of Astoria's cure.
"I have no plans to die and will continue to treat Astoria. And you know what? See this as an opportunity," smiled Quinn and put a different perspective on things. "I'm giving you time; I will keep Astoria healthy. So study, learn, experience magic while living your ideal life. And no matter how much time it takes, find the remedy and cure your sister."
Quinn put out a hand forward for a handshake and asked, "Deal?"
Daphne looked at the outstretched hand and then at Quinn. She thought back to the things Quinn said, and a determined light appeared in her eyes.
She grabbed Quinn's hand and shook it, "Deal."
"Excellent," beamed Quinn.
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Quinn West - MC - Made another deal with another friend.
Daphne Greengrass - Future Healer - I will fulfill that deal.
Astoria Greengrass - About to start a new chapter in her life - "... So, then Quinn points at me. And when I saw it, I knew that he had betrayed me. I told him about Daphne in confidence!"
Poppy Pomfrey - Medi-healer - "No, no, no! Not another one!"
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