Chương 80: CH80 - Friends, New and Old
As he stepped out of the shower sporting nothing but a towel around his waist, Edmund took a moment to swipe his hand across the steamed-up bathroom mirror. Where once his ribs poked out awkwardly from his stomach, a thin layer of muscle was now present. Not a six-pack by any means, but a clear indication of a healthy and active lifestyle. His arms, previously stringy and disproportionate, now fit perfectly on his much wider frame. His face, noticeably sallow and sunken a year ago, now glowed with vitality.
Running his fingers over his chin and sideburns, Edmund sighed despondently. His beard—if it could even be called one—was still a patchy mess though. 'Probably best to shave, huh?'
The darkening of the skin around his eyes, however, went overlooked, either unnoticed or willfully ignored...
Heading to the small closet in the corner of his bedroom in the Todds' apartment, Edmund heard the soft flutter of wings flapping above him.
"Is there anything for me to do today?" a voice sounded.
"Nope," Edmund declared as he pulled a clean, white t-shirt over his head, frowning when he noticed it was getting a bit tight on him.
"No scouting I need to do, or people I should follow?" it questioned, a bit more pressingly.
"Nada," Edmund denied, rolling his denim jeans up to his ankles rather than letting them scrunch up midway down his feet.
"What about just delivering a letter?" it asked with a hint of desperation. "I can even do that!"
"But I haven't got any messages I need to send," Edmund dismissed as he evened out the laces on his sneakers.
"Edmund..." Vimoksha whined petulantly. "I haven't done anything since last week! No killing, no violence, no nothing! Please give me something to do! Anything!"
Edmund chuckled, shaking his head exasperatedly. The vetala had grown more comfortable with him over the days, and its true personality had begun to shine through as a result. The spirit might be beholden to him, but its tricksy nature was irrepressible. Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, it was eager to get to work—whether it needed to be done or not. "If you wanted me to give you those kinds of tasks, perhaps you should have picked a more menacing form," he suggested teasingly.
A tiny owl divebombed toward him, perching on the side of his outstretched index and middle finger. "What's wrong with this one?" Vimoksha's voice puffed out indignantly from within it.
He glanced over it. The pygmy owl's yellow eyes and claws were its sole fearsome features. Its small body was plump, with a long narrow tail that repeatedly flicked up and down. Reddish-brown plumage covered it, speckled with white spots that matched its white eyebrows. Its chest and belly were caramel coloured, with streaks of dark lines mixed into it. Altogether, it looked less like a bird of prey and more like a chibi plush toy.
"It's... not what I expected," Edmund said diplomatically. The idea for Vimoksha to possess an owl had been his. The vetala needed to accompany him in some way, and what would be more inconspicuous than an owl familiar at Hogwarts?
"Hmmph!" the owl turned its head to glare at him. Of course, its attempt to appear offended only made it look that much cuter. "You asked for a form I could easily take over and one that wouldn't be missed at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Well, this is it."
"I believe you," Edmund consoled.
"Don't be fooled by its appearance!" Vimoksha continued to lecture, undeterred. "This body is already stronger than average because of its magical nature. Plus, it's also been augmented by me, making it doubly powerful. Not to mention it's small and fast as well. This is the perfect form!"
'Yeah?' Edmund thought internally. 'I'll see if you still think that after everyone I know wants to coo over you and cuddle you...'
Outwardly though, he agreed with his companion. "You're right. I apologize for doubting you."
The owl huffed in lieu of accepting his apology, but Edmund knew he had been forgiven. Vimoksha was easily irritable, but he also held the shortest grudge—not unlike a child.
"You'll be alright here all alone, won't you?" Edmund asked before he left.
"Yes, yes," the vetala reassured, waving him away. "I'm bored, but I was also trapped in an egg for decades. I can entertain myself just fine if I need to."
Edmund nodded in farewell, closing the door behind him.
*-*-*-*
- (Scene Break) -
*-*-*-*
As he padded down the hallway to the sitting area, he could hear a plethora of voices coming from it. Poking his head in, he was greeted by the visages of Albert, Cynthia, Jeremy, and... McGonagall. He and the transfiguration professor had planned a day out together before he departed from Hogwarts. Both knew they would be busy before the new school year but had still set aside a day for just the two of them.
The three Todds' smiled at him welcomingly, though their expressions were hesitant. Edmund grimaced internally. He knew his behaviour since Vimoksha's bonding had been odd, to say the least. Despite his diligent use of occlumency, his mood tended to swing from one extreme to the next, never quite settling as it should. His laughs had become hollow, and his jokes halfhearted. The Todds had done nothing wrong, but a strange tension had built between them.
McGonagall looked at him curiously, her sharp eyes not missing anything happening around her.
"Professor," Edmund acknowledged with a smile.
"Edmund," the woman allowed some warmth to seep into her stern tone. "I was in the middle of discussing Mr. Todd's work in Transfiguration with his parents."
"And what's the consensus?" he queried.
"That he needs to start bringing 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration' to class rather than 'Quidditch Through the Ages'," Cynthia scolded smirkingly as Jeremy looked down with embarrassment.
"Now, now, Cynthia," McGonagall arched her brow, "I seem to recall a little girl refusing to cast on the live animals for almost a month because she was worried that being transfigured would negatively affect their psyche. Does that sound familiar to you?"
*Pffft,* Jeremy burst out laughing as Albert wrapped an arm around his blushing, rueful wife.
"Ready?" McGonagall asked Edmund.
"Ready," he confirmed. Edmund had been expecting an inquisition from the woman about the reaction he had garnered from the Todds, but he got nothing of the sort. Instead, she silently wrapped her arm around his, and the two disappeared with a pop.
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