บท 46: Confrontations
"I appreciate the company but don't you want to be having breakfast in the Great Hall with Anne?" Penny's voice bounces from wall to wall as we stride through the frost-bitten halls of Hogwarts. Although we walk side by side, my freakishly normal height friend strides slightly faster than me. Her silver Prefect badge shined off her chest, radiating power and prestige.
My mind immediately flashes to the fact that I let it slip to her that I can see Thestrals, 'Thanks for worrying but I already ate. Besides, if I did that then I wouldn't be able to talk to you!'
"Why are you so tired anyway?" Penny asks, continuing to scan the hallway, as I yawn for the fifth time.
'I was up late studying,' I lie, knowing not to talk to anyone about the stone hidden within the castle.
"I feel that! It's like winter break was only yesterday," Penny moans, throwing her head back. As she does, her straight, long, blonde hair falls back to reveal a silver and blue button earring. A chuckle escapes my lips but fails to break through my silent prison. "Speaking of studying, have you talked to the rest of them about the study group?"
'Not really,' I write hesitantly. It's a bit hard to talk to two people you're avoiding.
"Excuse me," A voice breaks the conversation as Professor Quirrell strides confidently around the corner in front of us.
"Yes, professor?" Penny, always the teachers' pet, responds sweetly while I can't help but narrow my eyes.
"Why are you chatting with a friend rather than doing your duty as a Prefect?" Professor Quirrell confronts Penny without ever taking his eyes off me.
"Sir I can-" Penny stammers, sweating too much to notice the oddities in Professor Quirrell.
"Yes?" His words cut through any rebuttal Penny could have said. Professor Quirrell's sharp tone is super effective against Penny's need for approval.
"Sorry sir, this won't happen again," Penny's words fall over each other as she rushes to bring them out.
"Be off now," Quirrell dismisses her. Something's off. His posture's better and he hasn't shuddered once. Not to mention Quirrell, the professor would consed to a fly in a duel, raising his voice! What happened over break to cause this kind of change in our DADA teacher? Now that I think about it, just why would Quirrell be our DADA teacher anyway?
'Did you want to talk to me, Professor?' My question seemed to give him a snap of clarity, for as I write his body contracts, and every ounce of authority once in his eyes seemed to drain in an instant.
"Oh, y-yes. I heard you had an l-look around the area this morning," his pathetic smile did nothing to change the avarice hidden in the corners of his deceptive blue eyes. My eyes stayed flat as a cold spark flickers in me. How could he think it would be a good idea to talk about this in the hallway?
'I did,' is the only response I could muster. Doing my mental check of the shields I've been performing every few minutes, knots loosen at their continued existence. Walking past him, my attempt to get out of there is thwarted as he grabs my shoulder.
The hand presses down on me, sending a cool shock through my system. Darkness, ever-expanding nothingness slashes into me. Feral instincts kick in as I whirl around, slapping his hand off me.
"W-w-wait!" his eyes raise and his mouth widens at his inability to overpower me.
'Yes?' I write cooling, struggling to keep my fractured composure together.
"Did you happen to find anything?" That other self of his slips out at his question, eyes blazing with greed.
'What?' My mind lags slightly, still shaken from his touch.
"I-I mean, were there any holes in the shielding you found that I could be of some assistance?" Idiotic pride curves his lips at the false assertion he's been sneaking in any way.
'Not that I could find,' I try to look disheartened by this. As if I was just some know-it-all first year, in over her head. For a moment, only the whispers of a draft fill the frosted halls as our eyes meet. You bluffed Dumbledore! Are you seriously going to lose against Quirrell?
Lucky for him, or me, the moment ends as quickly as it began, for the clocktower's bell cuts the tension. The once quiet halls start to hum with the murmur of students in the distance.
"I-I see. I-If you find anything, make sure to tell me," the twitch of hot irritation slips past his mask as we pass each other. Not looking back, I fight every urge telling me to sprint into a corner and cower for the rest of the day.
Turning the corner, I put my back to the wall and let it take my weight. What was that? It was like that black spot of Potter's Mana, the darkness of the Thestrals, and the overwhelming cold of every spell fired out of her wand wrapped in a bow made from the hair of children and seasoned with the shavings of bones.
Not a single inch of my body could stop from shaking. The constant cold that permeated my existence seemed to have been multiplied by the arctic after that touch. Even without any testing or deduction, the deep depths of my soul knew exactly what black Mana meant; death.
***
"Catlyn!" a high-pitch cry rocketed off the walls of the bustling hallway. The white light of snow blasted from both sides of the hallway as I pass through it; a social moat still surrounding me. Fear, and a small hole of sad emptiness, hit me. Surveying the crowd, my eyes lock with that of Anne's.
Looking away, my glide increases in pace as I try to disappear into the crowd. Speeding up, I fight the crowd at the four-way intersection to turn right. The crowd diminishes as I look back to see if I shook her. I can't seem to rationalize my avoidance as, not looking forward, I run into something. Or someone, so it seems as I look up to see Cedric standing in front of me.
Emotional pain is advertised on his face as he extends a hand out to me, "Please stop running, it's tearing her up inside. Would it kill you to just hear why she's been trying to talk to you?"
I hesitate. Is he right? What will happen if she, she… I can't even begin to imagine what she'll say. Is that why I've been avoiding her? Is the fact that I don't know her reaction so bad that I've put more effort in hiding from her than Dick and his ilk?
Looking back, Anne makes her way out of the crowded intersection. Her hair and eyes… are hard to describe. A mix of yellow, red, orange, blue, and green all swirl. It doesn't look like she's completely disgusted or angry at me. Taking one deep breath, I accept his hand.
"Catlyn!" Anne calls out this time, running with the speed of a track star and the energy of a third grader hopped up on ADHD and speed. This time, I don't run; only flatten my skirt as I wait for her.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow night," Cedric says goodbye, reminding me of our agreement to resume our study sessions this week.
"Why have yo-" Her question gets cut off as I hold a finger to her mouth and shake my head.
Looking around, I search my memory for a place to talk with her. Finding one, I take my hand and motion her to come with me. Sucking her lips, she takes a moment before nodding her head, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Weaving through the halls of Hogwarts, the sighting of students becomes rarer and rarer as the beginning of first hour draws nearer. Turning a final corner, Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom comes into view. Sliding into the bathroom, I let go of Anne's hand. By now, her eyebrows have stayed furrowed but her lips have sagged down; tension clearly in her cheeks.
"Now can I talk?" Anne asks, exacerbated.
Nodding, I try to keep my stomach from floating as I write, 'Yes. Sorry about that. I just didn't want others to overhear us.'
A jitter long sigh wafts out of her mouth as she squeezes her eyes shut. Pacing, her eyes darted around to the windowsill. Collapsing there, immediately gets to her feet, "Goddammit Catlyn. I'm not that stupid. I was just going to tell you that we don't have to talk about it if you don't feel comfortable with it. But when you ran, again, I… I got a little frustrated."
The constant changing of color stopped, leaving only green in her hair and deep blue eyes. Not writing anything, I move to her side, 'I shouldn't have run from you. I guess I wasn't as comfortable with this topic as I thought I was.'
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she soothes, eyes filled with a worried yellow. Sliding away, she closes her eyes to concentrate. Opening them, her hands begin to move, *I'm here for you.*
Warmth slips into every nook and cranny of my being. A soft smile lines my face as I take Anne into an embrace. Hugging back, we sat there for a moment. If anyone walked in, they'd see two girls wrapped in a hug, framed by a window with snowflakes gently floating down, as a ghost girl watches them.
Breaking apart, every shadow of doubt that was once in my mind fizzles out, 'I'm ready.'
So I laid it out to her. Well, not everything of course. I told her how I was tortured and had to watch as my mother tortured others in front of me. I talked about how my Father rescued me and adopted me. And finally, I went through how I watched a man be forced to kill himself in front of me. For a moment, everything stays silent. Even the wind held its breath at the guts I just spilled.
"Wait, so you're adopted?" Anne asks, completely serious. I could help but burst into laughter as Anne only grew confused, "What!"
'That's what you're surprised about?' I ask her, all tension broken.
"Well… you guys look very similar!" Cheeks flush, Anne's shoulders hunch in embarrassment.
Jumping up, I extend a hand and a note to her, 'Come on. We should probably start heading to class.'
Smirking, she accepts my hand, giggling. The time begins to dawn on me as the noise level in the halls only reaches a murmur.
*I'm surprised you learned sign,* Anne stares for a moment until a sigh of realization escapes her lips.
"I learned some but I'm not comfortable in it yet. Maybe you could teach me during our study session?"
A smile gleams in my eyes as we enter the classroom. Rowdy conversations get cut off as the clocktowers bell chimes and we take our seats.
"G-good morning s-students. T-today we're going to be t-talking about vampires," Quirrell's voice keeps it stutter as cold eyes shot straight into me.
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Clueless59
Clueless59 I'm back! Sort of. I had a kick to come back and finish this chapter, so I did. I might come back to the normal schedule, but that all depends on what happens this week. Anne and Catlyn are back together, and the plot's ramping up! I won't spoil what happens next but I will tell you that there are only two to three, depending on what you feel count, plot points left. I will tell you this for the summer plot; it will involve a new main character, the repercussions of this book, and Anne's mom.
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