StarWight

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

“Well,” I say, flashing a half smile towards Bridget, “regardless of how much or little you care about the money, you’re still using it on me when you could be using io….” my voice trails off, and I wink mischievously. “...buy half--or all--of Hogsmeade,” I finish with a chuckle. I listen to her explanation of chocolate, and honestly, it does seem legit--though I do wonder at the lack of magical properties. when it comes to chocolate. It would be fun to break it down, see if there really was something magical about chocolate. I’ve heard of the supposed “cure” for the effects of dementors and it sounds magic to me. Then again, there could be a scientific, rational explanation for it. I am about to mention it as we walk into the sweet shop when she surprises me by thrusting a bag into my hands.

“Here, fill this up!” she tells me, raising an eyebrow. When she tells me she’ll be standing by the jawbreakers, I not, and gaze at the massive assortment of different types of candy in front of me. It’s funny; I never did outgrow my love of sweets. I decide to take her up on her offer, and I stuff the bag half full of Chocolate frogs--several of which I have to hit with the Immobulus spell to get to freaking stay still long enough to pick them up. I fill the rest of the bag with boxes of Every Flavor Jelly Beans--some of my favorite. The adventure of finding out just what flavor you are going to get is irresistable to me.

When finished, I approach the jawbreakers, and give Bridget a nod. “I filled the bag,” I say grinning, genuinely enjoying myself outside of studying magic for the first time in years. “I think I may have overfilled it. Some of the chocolate frogs are hopping out of the top. I might have to enchant the thing so they can’t get out.”

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

I laugh as she described the sorting hat as “dull as a blank piece of parchment.” I shake my head, and hold up a hand to correct her. “No no, a blank piece of parchment is far more interesting than the sorting hat rambling on and on any day!” I laugh again, probably my first real laugh in 4 years.

My laugh fades just slightly as she says that she can tell something is bothering me. Truth is, there is a large part of me that just wants to open up to her, to tell her what happened. To ask her opinion on things. It’s everything I can do to not just break down right there, to spill everything in my heart. But I just met her, really. How could I do that? I perked up as she mentioned a room full of secret mirrors and hidden discoveries, however.

I am about to reply when she tosses 4 Sickles on the table. My eyes widen in surprise that she would just volunteer to pay for me, but before I can protest the barmaiden scoops it up, looking quite pleased.

“Um. Thanks...I would’ve...I mean I could’ve...thanks. Really,” I stammer, truly grateful and yet wishing I could have afforded to do something in return. I mean truth was I could afford it, but at the same time, that’s two sickles I might need later in the year. Not like I had an inheritance of my own from my parents.

“I’d like to walk back with you,” I answer perhaps a little too quickly at her offer. “It um. Is a long walk. And quite lon--” I break into a purposeful coughing fit to cover that last word I’d almost said, and gave a sheepish grin. “ugh, ever choke on your own slobber? It’s both disgusting and humiliating. Anyway, it’s a boring walk by oneself. I’d love to come with you.”

I turn quickly away, hoping she doesn’t catch the deep red my face decided to turn to at that very moment. I frown a bit, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. “I always thought the whole chocolate thing was a myth; it’s really legit? Well, it gives me an excuse to eat chocolate anyway!” I exclaim, chuckling a bit.

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

I listen to Bridget as she tells me about my wand. I, of course, knew what it was made of, what wizard doesn’t know the makeup of their own wand? But to hear her tell me just what my wand meant. That was something else. I remembered the dark disembodied voice from my dream, “There is much to be done. You are the vessel to usher in a new age, a world where this needn’t happen to anyone else ever again, Alex. You just need to embrace it!” I swallowed hard, gazing at my wand, for the first time wondering if there was more to my dream than a simple nightmare. As she tells me she is a little surprised that I ended up in Ravenclaw, I gingerly pick my wand from the table, staring at it, feeling conflicted. I close my eyes, and I see the skull and serpent. It flashes green, and I let out a startled cry, falling over backwards out of my chair, but still clutching the instrument in my fingers. I blink a few times, then pull the chair upright, staring and hoping nobody saw. Only a few people had turned to face me in this little bar, but Bridget had leapt to her feet, a shocked look on her face.

I try to downplay what just happened, though ironically my wand gives me away--my hands are trembling so hard that I can’t hold it straight.

“It’s...nothing. I just kinda leaned back a little too far and the chair fell over!!” I exclaim, giving an exasperated sigh for good measure. I try my best to chuckle and plaster a smile onto my face, knowing full well it’s as fake as Professor Trelawney’s “divinations” she went on about in class.

The skull….did I really see it when I was surrounded by flames that day? Or was it just a dream? The disturbing part is, I can no longer really remember. I stare at Bridget, part of me wanting her opinion on my dream and part of me so terrified to tell her that I think it would kill me, especially after what she said about my wand. So instead, I laugh again, and shake my head.

“As for you being surprised about my being in Ravenclaw...well, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. It considered it...but it said that my rightful place was among those in Ravenclaw and one day I, and others, would know why.” I shrug, then slip the wand deep into my sleeves once more. “To be honest, sometimes I wonder about that old hat.”

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

“Er, sorry. I’m rambling.” I smile, raising my glass before taking another drink. I then wave her apology away. “Meh, don’t worry about it, your rambling is far more interesting than any conversation I’ve had in awhile.” I set my glass down, then from the right sleeve of my robes, withdraw my wand. I twirl it between my fingers for just a few moments, gazing at its cyprus shell.

“You know. I want to tour the world one day myself,” I say, as the wand spins between my middle and index finger slowly. “To learn the cultures of other wizards around the world. Maybe to learn more recipes for potions, another little passion of mine. It’s funny, so many people hate on Professor Snape, but none can deny that he sure knows what he’s doing when it comes to potions.”

I gaze at my wand a few more moments before tossing it into the air and catching it neatly at a duel-ready pose. I then slap the thing down on the table, grab my glass and take another drink, a mischievous grin on my face.

“Alright,” I say with a chuckle. “You know magic objects and artifacts quite well it sounds like. Tell me about my wand, what it means. Wandlore is something I never fully understood anyway, I’d love your opinion on the thing. Plus it’d be fun!” I give her a small wink, then sit back, awaiting her words.

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

I watch the exchange between the shopkeeper and Bridget for a moment. For the slightest second she seems to want to say something, then simply tells me to follow her. I nod, and we step into the cold. Not that it bothers me, my wool robes keeps me plenty warm. Not to mention the Radiatus Fira spell, which keeps the wool robes nice and heated on the inside. Me being from the warmer regions of England I’m not terribly used to the cold weather that Hogwarts has been known to have.


Making our way to the Three Broomsticks, I welcomed the warm (and isolated) atmosphere, how easy it was to vanish at a table. There is a moment of silence between us, before she asks “So...what were you doing in the bookstore anyway?” I think a moment before answering. Do I really want to be honest? Truth was, I was researching the Dark Mark, Death Eaters, and He Who Must not be Named. In fact, there was a book I’d seen last time I was there, You Know Who and the Rise of the Death Eaters, by Edwin Irvistad. It was about the Dark Lord himself, Death Eater tactics, and some of the dark magic that they were known to have used in the past. I always suspected there was more to my parents death than a simple house fire. Fiend Fyre was there that day, I was sure of it. But I don’t know why. I suspect the Dark Lord’s minions, but again I don’t know why. With the pause between her question and my answer getting lengthier, I finally decide to answer as truthfully as possible.

“I’m researching dark wizards,” I finally reply, sighing bitterly. “And their tactics.” I let my voice trail off, gazing deep into my butterbeer. I take a large gulp of the stuff, and slam the glass down on the table. “I just know there is something to it though!!!” I exclaim, mostly to myself even if it was damn near a shout. I blink, then turn towards Bridget. “Sorry….hope I didn’t startle you…”

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

“Well, I could say the same thing. No one really comes in here, it’s a bit out of the way. For your information, I’m just browsing for anything of interest. I don’t have any qualms or prejudices when it comes to books, especially magical ones. I’m searching for my own purposes right now. Perhaps, if you really were interested, I might share my purposes with you, if for no other reason than I could care less what you think.”

Her response was somehow both kinda mean and kinda nice at the same time. I honestly wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. Luckily for me, Bridget seemed too distracted to really care if I responded right away. And, much to my surprise, I found that I was genuinely interested in just what she was studying. I watch as she turns around, and freeze slightly as she spends just a moment longer than one would normally look at someone. Or at least longer than most would care to look at me. I’m just about to say something, but then she interrupts; “Hey...are you all right? You look pale, and based on that fact I am not going to assume that your obviously shaking hands and breathing are attributed to you running here.”

I blink, honestly taken aback. Not that she noticed, but that she asked. I open my mouth to speak, but words fail me. How can I tell her about my horrific dream? How I still wonder what truly happened that night. I know what I saw that night. I do. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. But can I really explain that to someone I don’t even really know? But how do I NOT without sounding like a jerk? It takes me a few moments, but I regain myself, and shrug my shoulders.

“I’m fine,” I say with about as much confidence as a puppy trying to chase a tiger. “It’s...I’m not sick, nor did I run here. Bad dreams is all.” I answer as honestly as I can bring myself, quickly turning my gaze away from her, suddenly finding the hardwood floor VERY interesting. “Very bad…” I mutter, almost to myself. I’m lost in thought when I hear her offer to go to the Three Broomsticks. That actually perks me up slightly, and I meet her gaze again. I study her a moment, because she always seemed to me to be on the shy side, sort of a loner like I’ve become since the second year. Our eyes meet for just a second, before I quickly turn away, feeling my face flush for reasons I can’t even explain.

“A butterbeer? I wouldn’t say no to that. You’re right, I could use one. Even if it doesn’t help, it’d--” I catch myself. I almost say It’d be fun to hang out with you, and I feel slightly alarmed. I’m a lone wolf. Why do I suddenly care now?

“--It’d be fun,” I finish.

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

Swirling flames surrounding all of us. It is hot. Oh so very hot. I can feel the waves of heat rushing against my skin like a brisk wind, threatening to melt the very fabric of our creation. I scream, looking towards my mother. “What is happening?!” I shriek. She gazes at me, eyes wide. I hear my father yelling for us to get out. To flee. I turn towards him, and aim my wand at the wall of fire behind him.
“Aguamentai” I shriek, and a jet of crystal blue water flies forward from my wand, striking the fire. But it simply evaporates upon impact, with no effect whatsoever. Both my parents turn their wands to the fire as well, but again, no effect even with their combined magic. My brother, my two sisters, my parents, myself--all trying to keep the flames at bay. But nothing works. It is a hopeless situation. I turn to my family, tears staining my cheeks before evaporating from the sheer heat. And then my eyes widen.
Is that what I think it is? A fiery skull with a serpent slithering from the open mouth, eye holes appearing to glare out at us before vanishing in a searing, seething wall of monstrous flames.

All goes red. I feel the heat melting flesh from bone, I hear my mother’s agonizing screams of pain, my sisters shrieking as if they were in the fires of Hell itself, my father crying out. Then white. Just white. When I open my eyes, there is nothing but ash surrounding me. Only ash and nothing more. I collapse to my kneese, picking up a fistfull of the white ash, and flinging it angrily to the ground, breaking down into sobs.

“Now now, little one. You have a much larger role to play in the Wizarding world” I hear a voice echo around me. I slowly lift my head, but see nobody. Just hear the sinister voice. “There is much to be done. You are the vessel to usher in a new age, a world where this needn’t happen to anyone else ever again, Alex. You just need to embrace it!”

Then, in front of me, I see an eerie green skull, a serpent’s head slithering out of the mouth, tail tucked between the eye sockets. It lets out a shriek, sending a wave of pure energy at me, and I feel my body disintegrate, a pain so intense that I scream so hard I rupture my vocal chords.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I leap out of bed, beads of sweat pouring down my face. The dream….so frequent. Several times a week. And yet that is *not* how things happened. Not exactly. I close my eyes trying to stop my trembling, my tears still running down my cheeks. I’m breathing hard, gasping for breath, trying to put myself together once more.

I look around the room, realizing I am the only one still here. Most everyone woke up at least an hour before. I bet they had better dreams too, I think to myself. It still haunts me, the questions. Another way my dream was inaccurate: my father knew nothing of magic. It was just a dream anyway, of course it wouldn’t be entirely correct. Still….

Shaking my head, I throw on a pair of thick winter robes, yank my wand from beneath my pillow and putting it up my sleeve, then heading downstairs. Hogsmeade. Maybe a butterbeer or two would help soothe my nerves. Lord knew sitting around in Ravenclaw tower sure as hell wouldn’t.

I consider bypassing one of my favorite shops, a little hole in the wall store that contained, among other things, quills.As well as magic books of great interest to me. I look towards the Three Broomsticks, contemplating. I would have chosen the Three Broomsticks but movement caught my eye in the window. There she was, Bridget, gazing at a shelf of books. Interested in what someone like her would actually be reading, imagining an interest in magic tomes like myself, I decide to open the door, and wander inside.

“Oi, hello there. Why am I not surprised to see you in a place like this?” I ask, trying to sound as cheerful and upbeat as I usually do--and somehow knowing I’m failing miserably. The shaking of my hands probably doesn’t help. Or the paleness of my skin. Or the slightly rapid breathing. Okay, so I can’t really hide something quite as disturbing as that dream, but I can always hope she is too distracted to notice. Right?

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

I blink then blink again at she says “sounds like a personal problem to me.” I open my mouth to speak but the girl slams the door right in my face! huh I think to myself, standing there staring at the door. Well, that went well didn’t it, mate? Glowering at myself, and again wondering why I even give a damn, I stride over towards the men’s dorm, giving one last glance towards her door, shaking my head. Oh well. Better get some rest if you plan on actually being coherent in Hogsmeade tomorrow I tell myself. Not that I was all that coherent right now, and that was well rested. Sighing again, I meandered over to my dorm, yanking the door open and slamming it shut behind me. I gazed at my corner of the room. So little there, I realized for the first time. No family photographs, no letters from mom and dad. Of course, that might be different had I *had* a mom and dad. Not that it mattered that much. I was here right? I had opportunities some wizards didn’t get.

And yet….No. My mind would not wander places tonight. I’d stupify myself if I had to. Instead I tossed my wand under my pillow, stripped my robes, and fell into a deep slumber filled with horrid screams and black death.

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

I was genuinely shocked when the Sonorus spell struck me, my voice carrying through the *entire* great hall. Listening to the laughter around me, and he”cute” remark, I had to chuckle a bit at myself too. “Well played, Bridget, very well played--just like a true Ravenclaw!” I was just about to cast a spell that would turn her entire body into a rubber, not removing her bones but making them almost liquid in nature--but the damn professor had to step in. I took his “thank you for the demonstration” as “You two have put more than a toe over the line today” and saluted with my wand, before it vanished beneath my billowing sleeves.

I was about to say “fantastic, the most fun I’ve had in awhile” but for some reason Bridget stormed out. I was slightly taken aback, thinking that she would have gotten absorbed in the sheer fun of the challenge to not be upset about the whole “voluntelling” thing. Apparently not. Frowning, I gave the professor a curt nod, then without a word vanished through the giant double doors leading towards the Ravenclaw tower.

The funny thing is, I couldn’t even say why I cared whether or not she was upset. I just did. Frowning even more, irritated at myself to some extent, I strode on, pushing my way into the common room, easily answering the door’s riddle of the day. Seriously, does anyone really expect these poor riddles to keep someone out? Shrugging, I moved on, noticing Bridget as she began to make her way to the female dormitories.

“Oi! Wait a second!!” I called to her, reaching out. “You um. Surprised me there. You know? I...um…” I cursed myself for sounding like a blubbering idiot right now. “I know I sorta kinda forced you to go first without your permission. Just a bit. I um. Well I don’t regret that per se, but I do wish you wouldn’t be so upset about it. It was FUN yeah? Besides, we ended in a draw. It’s more than I can say for most in our class. Wouldn’t you say? You’re a fantastic witch, and...with more of these coming up, maybe we should...you know. Study together or something. Hell I don’t know.”

I wanted to strangle myself. Again, I was sounding like a total idiot. What the holy hell is wrong with you Alex? What has gotten into you? I internally glared at myself--or would be, if I had internal eyeballs with which to do so. I sighed slowly, shrugging my shoulders, an apologetic look at Bridget.

The Sting of a Double Edged Blade (A Harry Potter RP)

Part of me was a bit disappointed when my electricity spell missed, and part of me amused as the poor observers got splashed by my water spell; but I didn’t have time to get a really good laugh, because without words, suddenly pieces of a magical wall are flying towards me with freakishly scary speed. Eyes wide, I wave my wand, a nonverbal “protego” sent a shimmering white barrier around me, deflecting the pieces into the crowd. Eyes wide, I flicked my wand, and the piece headed right for a student suddenly flew high into the air, crashing down inches from me. I nodded to the student with a grin, and turned my wand back to my opponent.

“Incend--” I begin with a flick of my wand, trying to make Bridget think I was about to set her robes ablaze, then I quickly concentrated, instead sending a nonverbal “Stupify” her way, hoping to stun her. Expecting retaliation, I also mutter under my breath, as I’ve yet to master the nonverbal version of this spell, “Reflectus Totalus” and an invisible reflective barrier surrounds me, ready to reflect magic back at the caster. I await her counter spell, loving the thought of her getting struck by her own hex or curse.