The Trials of Vanessa
For the rest of the day, Aiden waited for Dennison to question him about Gillian – who she was and what was her connection to him. No questions came, but the feeling of dread and doom did not leave him. He better not hurt her just to spite me.
In the dead of night, Aiden awoke from a nightmare: Gillian lying on the castle’s stone floor, shivering, barely breathing. He shook his head to clear his mind. Cold air pierced him, right through his blankets, to his very soul. Outside his curtains, a presence lurked. The dorm room was filled with an aura of evil the likes of which Aiden had never experienced before.
In the darkness, he saw a faint light. He peeked through the opening of his curtains. The curtains around Dennison’s bed were lit with a yellow glow. He must be reading by wand-light. But what is giving off that aura?
Dennison was indeed reading. He was propped up on his elbows. His wand was tucked behind his ear, casting a light down onto the pages of Wicked Vengeance. The detailed, sometimes gruesome pictures no longer held any erotic thrill for him. He found himself drawn more and more to the words, the instructions for each curse. As these words filled his mind, he felt his hidden, latent power waxing. He was finally on his way, making his first steps to becoming a Dark Lord.
He heard something like a voice in his ear, yet it seemed to come from within him: The time of your first test draws nigh. But first, you must hide this book. Gregor is hunting for it, and he has commanded the prefects to look for it. They do not know yet what it is they seek, but if they find it, it will be your ruin.
Hide the book where no one would think to look for it. Suddenly, Dennison saw a vision of the stone wall that bordered the castle grounds. There was, between some loose stones, a space just small enough to hide this book.
I’ll need to make something in Fig to cover it, thought Dennison, to keep it hidden and protected from the elements.
Before I let it go, I better copy down this spell so that I can continue to learn it.
Just then, he heard the soft pads of footfalls on the stone floor. He closed the book and pushed it under his pillow. He heard the bathroom door open and shut. Dennison got up and pulled another notebook from his bag. In this notebook, he kept his History notes. Let’s put the spell here. I can read it and look like I’m studying for History.
He was about to cast the duplicating spell when he heard or felt that other voice from deep within him:
Copy down the spell by hand. You will remember it better than if you just use a duplicating spell.
Slowly, carefully, Dennison began writing out the instructions for the curse. He heard the bathroom door open again, and soft footfalls. Dennison looked out from between his curtains and saw Aiden standing there, looking back at him. “Go to bed, Thompson,” said Dennison in a warning voice. His aura swelled, and his words became a magical command, deep and firm. Aiden retreated to his own bed.
The year was winding down, and the Fifth Years were preparing for their end of term exams. These exams, their professors told them daily, were designed to prepare them for their coming O.W.L.s. No test daunted Liam Wren more than the upcoming examine in Ancient Runes.
The exam would be cumulative, covering every set of runes they had learned going back all the way to Year Three: Hardic, Furthak, Noldoric, Beleriandic and Mazarbulic. Without long study sessions with Umberto, Gordon and Sadie, Liam would have been completely lost. Sadie’s system of keeping all the runes organized and separate in her mind was particularly helpful.
Vanessa attended these sessions, too. She didn’t complain or spend too much time brushing her hair, as she did in some of her other classes. In this group of competitive, hard-working students, she buckled down and kept pace.
Sadie speculated privately to Liam, one night when they were on patrol together, that Vanessa didn’t brush her hair during the study sessions because whatever enchantments she was casting had no effect on the others.
“It’s not going to work on someone like Umberto anyway, and Gordon treats her like a sister, too. And obviously I’m not going to be impressed by it. The only one who would be affected is you, and you’re already her boyfriend, so what’s the point?”
“I’m just glad you two don’t quarrel.”
“She’s on her best behaviour around me, and I’m doing my best to be civil to her, too. If we quarreled, you would have to take sides. She’s got to be afraid you might take my side.”
“That I might,” agreed Liam. “Depends on what you’re going on about.”
“How are things with you and Felwich? Seems like she’s warmed up to you.”
“Oh, I guess so. Sometimes, we’ll walk around for an hour and she won’t say anything at all. Other times, I can’t get a word in edgewise.”
“Hmm.”
“How ‘bout you? You getting along with her, too?”
“Yes. Since Reconciliation, she’s been quite sweet to me.”
After a study session late on a Thursday evening, Liam and Vanessa wandered along the castle corridors, spending a private moment together before they had to return to their common rooms.
“Do you have any plans for Christmas?” asked Vanessa.
“Honestly,” said Liam, “my mind hasn’t gone farther than these tests. Usually, I have part of my brain working on Quidditch strategy, but I can’t even do that right now, keeping up with the boys and all this work. I’m just glad practises won’t start until January.” He gazed kindly down at her. “How ‘bout you? You have Christmas plans?”
“We might go to San Moritz to ski.”
“That’ll be fun. My Christmas will be boring in comparison. Not much skiing in Biggleswade, see. Too flat. Not enough snow.”
She laughed. “Do you know when the career counselors are coming? I think it’s sometime in the spring. Right before O.W.L.s.”
“Again, Berto will know about that sort of thing before I will.”
“You must have some kind of career plan. You’re taking all these hard classes. What do you want to do with your life?”
“I’m going to be a Treasure Hunter,” said Liam, decisively.
She laughed. “That’s not a real job.”
“Yes, it is.”
“All those treasure hordes were plundered ages ago.”
“Ah, and that’s the thing, isn’t it?” said Liam, eagerly. “Some of those magical treasures ended up in museums, but most of them are in private hands, right? They don’t degrade. Magical treasures last forever if you cast the right spells on them. If someone has a magical treasure that came from some horde, they’re not going to just put it out there where anyone can see it. They’re going to keep it hidden, because if they stole it from an old horde, someone could steal it from them.”
“I suppose,” said Vanessa in a bored voice.
“Ah! But now we come to the fun part,” said Liam, his voice rising in enthusiasm. “These folks who plundered the hordes ages ago, what happens to them? They die, that’s what. And when they die, their secret treasure is still there, right where they hid it, for someone like me to come along and find it.”
“So, you’re just going to go from place to place, stealing magical treasures from dead people?”
“Of course not! I won’t be stealing!” protested Liam. “Those old farts, before they kick the bucket, what do they do? They make a will. ‘I bequeath to nephew So-in-So, the only one of you lot I really liked, my special magical item.’ But guess what? The old fart’ll pass on, and nephew won’t know where the treasure is buried. Or, he’ll find it, but it’s got traps and stuff all around it. He can’t get at it. That’s when he calls a licensed Treasure Hunter like myself to come in and save the day.”
“Are you sure you didn’t read about this in some cheap paperback novel with a picture of a scantily clad woman on the cover?”
“I tell you, Ness, this is a real job, and I’m going to do it.”
She sighed. They were in the vicinity of the Slytherin common room. “I need to get to bed. Give me one more shot of your heat spell, please.” Liam happily complied. She kissed him and allowed his hand on her breast for a moment. With a wave, she disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
As Sadie had before her, Vanessa still thought Liam’s dream of being a Treasure Hunter was ridiculous. As long as he keeps casting that spell on me, he can do what he likes, she decided.
The spell faded quickly, but the memory of it lingered in her mind, along with a yearning to feel it again. She walked through the common room in a dream. In her dormitory, she saw that all the other girls were present, either in their nightgowns already, or beginning to change. She let out a sigh and said dreamily, “You just don’t know what it’s like.”
Pauline took the bait. “What are you talking about, Ables?”
“Liam. He has this incredible spell. I have no idea how he learned it. It’s not something they teach at Hogwarts, believe me. It’s … it’s just incredible. I don’t know how to describe it properly.”
Tess, in plaid pajamas, perched on the edge of her bed, said, “Oh, I bet I can describe it.” Vanessa glared at her, but Tess ignored her. Tess glanced from girl to girl, making sure she had everyone’s attention before bringing her brown eyes onto Vanessa. “Not that I’ve experienced it myself, of course. Wren and I, I don’t know. I guess we never clicked. But Stacy, on the other hand, knows Liam Wren very well. And he knows her. She was telling me about this spell of his.” Leaning forward, towards Vanessa, she said, “I’ve actually seen him cast it on her.”
“You’re a liar,” hissed Vanessa, though she knew right then she was doomed.
Tess looked first to Morwena and then to Pauline. “It’s quite an intimate little spell, from what I understand. It starts down here.” She placed her hand between her legs. “And it shoots right up inside of you. It warms you from the inside out, from your core all the way to your fingertips and your earlobes. Every so often, when it’s miserably cold out, Stacy will cozy up to Wren and he’ll cast it on her.”
Morwena chimed in. “How ever did he discover such an intimate spell?”
“I think he just stumbled upon it. She says girls experience his spell differently than boys do, that for boys it’s just a standard warming spell.”
“But, for girls, it’s intimate?” asked Pauline brightly. “How fun! And so funny that he discovered this with his Hufflepuff sister. How old were they when they found it out?”
“I think they were still eleven,” said Tess.
Pauline gasped in feigned shock.
Vanessa got up and yanked the curtains closed around her bed. Eleven! And people call me depraved.
How long had Tess waited for that moment? They were probably all in on it. They knew Liam was casting this spell on me. They prepped and then lay in wait for me to walk into their trap.
Liam will pay for this.
Liam returned to the Badger’s Den. After checking that his First Year boys had gone to bed, he retired to his own dormitory. Suddenly, in his ear was an angry hiss:
You were never good enough for her. She’ll never stay with you.
She is the most beautiful girl in school, and what are you? Just a boy from a town no one has ever heard of.
You have the power of a prefect, but what are you doing with it?
On and on, the insults came, hissing like snakes. What the bloody hell is going on? wondered Liam.
It was Vanessa’s blond hairs. Instead of singing to him, as they usually did, they were hissing insults at him. What have I done to deserve this? We had a pleasant evening together! The hairs would not tell him. Finally, he drew his wand and blasted every single one of them off his clothes. Every time he thought he had found them all, another would start hissing at him. They had found their way into his bag, onto his pillowcase. They had even burrowed into his flannel sheets. It took over an hour to get rid of them all.
The next day was Friday, a late start for the Fifth Years. The Hufflepuffs lingered at the tables after breakfast while everyone else had gone to class or continued studying. As Liam was talking Quidditch with Philip, Mike and Fortney, Vanessa walked up to him. This was something she never did – approach the Hufflepuff table on her own, without even Umberto or Gordon with her.
“I need to speak to you privately.” Her voice told him she was still upset with him.
“Yes, let’s,” said Liam. He quickly got to his feet. “I’ll see you in Potions,” he told the others.
As soon as they were clear of the Entrance Hall, Liam said, “Your blond hairs gave me quite a telling off last night. They’re usually quite pleasant, but last night, they were a den of hissing snakes.”
“Well, it serves you right!” cried Vanessa. “You didn’t tell me Tess knew about the heat spell!”
“She must have learned about it from Stacy,” said Liam. He had completely forgotten the incident from the previous winter. “I didn’t tell her about it.”
“But of course, Stacy would tell Tess about it! You should have told me that Stacy knew! How does she know about it, anyway? I thought she was like a sister to you?”
“Leave Stacy out of this,” said Liam in a warning voice. “I have never asked you about your Favours with all your Slytherin boys.”
At this, Vanessa burst into tears. “You don’t know what it’s like, being in a room with four girls that hate you! They all hate me, and there’s no reason for it. I’ve done nothing to them. And last night, I wanted to talk and tell them about you and me, and all they did was gang up on me. And Tess was the leader. She knew everything I was going to say. She knew everything about that spell. And they were all in on it, too, even Pauline. They were nipping at me from every direction, like a pack of wolves. Like hyenas, even. And I couldn’t get away. If I only knew that they knew, I never would have brought it up. I would have been ready, but I was defenceless!”
She went on like this for a quarter of an hour. Just when Liam thought she was running out of things to say, she started repeating herself. By the time Liam had calmed her down, it was nearly time for class.