chapters 19,20&21
Chapter 19 - Wednesday at midnight
The time had sped by faster than I had expected. Usually days at Hogwarts were sickeningly long but it was already Wednesday, my first, first year class. I didn't really expect much of a change since for some reason, Hogwarts had hired a complete lunatic to previously teach astronomy, and I ended up having to re-teach the basics to all of my older students as well. It was no wonder that the previous teacher had been fired. But they at least understood the concept and importance that astronomy held in the wizarding world. The first years would no doubt find this class to be the least important since it didn't involve wands and potions like the others. But I would make it very clear how relevant it truly is. I would be teaching Gryffindors and Ravenclaws this class.
“Hello students. This class will not be like the others where you would need your wand or the assistance of potions, so leave them in your robes. The first subject you will learn in this class is how to properly use your telescope, as they are the most important tool in astronomy. You may pick whichever one you wish, you do not have to split up into groups depending on your house as that has no correlation to your effectiveness. I would appreciate it if you do not sit next to someone whom you know will distract you.”
The slow movements of the Gryffindors was a stark contrast to the mad dash that the Ravenclaws made. After they had all settled into their seats I took attendance, and began to explain.
“When using your telescope make sure to be careful. They are heavy but the slightest movement can make a big change in what you see. Now, I have already placed them in the correct position so just look through the lens, and I'll take turns asking what you see." I watched as all the students did as they were told except for one, although it didn't appear to be out of rudeness. She seemed confused, if I was remembering correctly she was Ra Young-Soon. She was Korean and was probably having a hard time understanding my instructions due to my accent. Before I could even make my way over, the Ravenclaw girl sitting next to her started directing her on what to do. They seemed to be friends and this was still the first week of school, so they had most likely been friends before entering Hogwarts.
“Two points to Ravenclaw. But I must say that if any of you have trouble understanding what I'm saying due to my accent then please do tell me. I won’t be offended, I’m very used to it. ”
The two girls looked a bit shocked not expecting me to have noticed their dilemma, or at least not expecting me to be so direct in addressing it. A few minutes of observing later, I began to ask them each a question.
“Sheamus, describe to me what you saw.”
“Um, I saw a lot of dots?”
“Petronella, how about you?”
“I was able to find the constellation Cassiopeia.”
“Harry?”
“I tried looking for Cola’s constellation, but I don't think I found it.”
I was about to move on to another student when Hermione interjected, “Cola is not a constellation, so of course you weren't going to find it.”
“He’s referring to the constellation Vulpecula; it's his cat's name and Cola is the nickname he uses for them. Though Harry, it would be better if you used the constellation's actual name as people might get confused." They both looked rather embarrassed at that. A few more hours later, I explained that their next class was going to require more work, and that this class was just a test to see where they were on the subject and how they would interact with their fellow classmates. My classes were shorter than the others as they took place at night, and the students would need their sleep. Though I honestly couldn't be happier because Ron, who despite having tried to stay out of the way, still managed to knock over his telescope.
It was now Friday, Sev’s first class with Harry and Draco, and I found myself glad that I taught Gryffindors and Slytherins separately. Ron had expectedly gotten into a spat with Draco, and poor Sev’s hair was turning gray. Harry and Draco performed rather well in their first flying lesson, they would no doubt get into the house teams when they reached the appropriate age. Filch was just about ready to murder the next Weasley he came across and I couldn't blame him, and lastly there was an incident in the Forbidden Forest. A unicorn was found dead. It was starting to make their move. I can only hope that the students didn't get dragged into the mess.
How the weeks had flown by, it was now Halloween already. And the smell of pumpkin wafted through the air, but instead of sitting at the head table enjoying my pumpkin spice latte, I was scouring the halls looking for two students. I was rather annoyed because I had already told these two students to talk to a teacher about any problems they had regarding the difference in culture.
I am very well aware of how different korean magic is to the kind that is taught at this school, but their unwillingness to ask for help is starting to be a problem. Delphini Sandwood and Ra Young-Soon were both Korean transfer students, though only one of them had a Korean name. Unlike wizarding Britain, the majority of wizarding Korea were not humans but instead spirits, which are very different from ghosts. The same can be said about wizarding Japan and Egypt, which primarily consist of non-human entities. Delphini and Young-Soon were both said spirits and unfortunately decided to hide their real appearances, because they didn't want to make others feel nervous or scared.
A reality I was all too familiar with, as my own brother Shoji who was a mix of Japanese and Egyptian, tended to use talismans to hide his pointy ears and wings, using the excuse that they got in the way because of how big they were. It was incredibly depressing that children thought they needed to hide who they really were just to not get picked on.
I had finally found them. They were in the girls bathroom trying to replace their old transformation seals with new ones.
“Do you two need assistance with directions? Because I'm certain that this is not the main hall.” They looked scared at first, Delphini quickly moved in front of Young-Soon, the clacking of her hooves were loud in the silence while trying to explain what was going on, but was stuttering so badly that her words were unintelligible.
“You can calm down, I am not upset with you. If you're worried about me being prejudiced, don't be, my younger cousin is a Filolial and my grandmother was Egyptian, so it would be incredibly hypocritical of me to judge you based on that.” Delphini stood still for a few seconds before calming down and I could see Young-Soon relax a bit behind her. I hated the fact that the only reason they trusted that I wasn't going to go against them, was because I myself wasn't fully human. How badly had other people failed them in that department. “Also, if you insist on hiding your appearances, use these, the seals you were previously using can make you sick if used for prolonged periods of time. All you have to do is place them on your forehead and they will automatically activate.”
They looked surprised at the aspect that I carried around transformation talismans but warmed up to the idea quickly. Just as Delphini reached her hand out to take them, a loud thud resounded from the hallway. It was loud, very loud, not a sound that one would expect to hear in a school. I slowly made my way to the bathroom entrance and peered through the partly opened doors. It was a troll, a f*cking troll! How on Gaia’s green earth was it in the school? I slowly backed away from the doors as quietly as I could and turned around to signal to the girls to be quiet. We stood there in silence for what could have been minutes, the only noise being the thunderous steps of the troll, when all of a sudden my communication orb started going off. It was Sev, no doubt trying to inform me that a troll was in the school grounds. His concern for my safety ended up being what put it in jeopardy.
I answered the call seeing as now that the troll had noticed them, there was no need to be quiet.
“Your timing is terrible, Sev.” “Listen, this is important! A-” “A troll, yeah I know, it's heading right at me and there are two students here, we’re in the girls bathroom on the first floor, hurry!” “F*ck!! I'm on my way, hold on!” The line went cold. I wasn't the best with offensive magic, so I'd have to hold up a barrier until Sev arrived. I placed myself between the girls and the door. I raised my wand and yelled. “Argen Scutum!” a silver shield enveloped us and just in time. The doors that once stood tall were thrown to the ground and splintered under the troll's staggering weight.
Chapter 20 - first strike
Delphine screamed in terror, latching onto Young-Soon with a grip so tight her knuckles were turning white. I couldn't blame her as this was most likely the first time she had seen a creature like this, humanoid but so obviously void of a conscience. It swung its massive club at us, bashing against the shield I conjured; it was strong enough that I still felt an impact. Delphine screamed again, falling to the floor, knocking a stunned Yoong-Soon off balance.
Another hit with the club, stronger than the last, the impact this time knocked the wind out of me and I fell to one knee. I could feel someone placing a hand on my shoulder, no doubt one of the girls trying to check on me but my head was spinning. I had to focus on keeping the shield up. If it fell for even a second the club would crush us where we stood. My mind was so muddled that I didn't even process the fact that the troll, whose kind is known for their terrible eyesight, was still attacking something that it could hardly make out. The silvery glow of the shield was usually enough to mess with their vision and convince them that there was no longer a living thing to bash to the ground.
Another blow, I almost threw up. I felt one of the girls leave the barrier; I tried to yell to get her to return to the safety the barrier gave, but I couldn't make a sound. My throat was tight and my body racked with pain. The downside to the Argen Scutum spell. While yes it stopped you being hit or stabbed, the pain the impact made would still be felt even if greatly dulled. I couldn't hold on anymore and the barrier fell as I passed out. I could only hope that Sev would arrive in time to save the students.
~ Yoong-Song’s point of view ~
The first time the troll swung the club at us I couldn't move. It was an ugly creature, skin like that of a corpse, a sagging face, long arms with short deformed legs. Its eyes were so devoid of civility, an animal for all intents and purposes. I could feel Delphini grab my arm shaking intensely. I think she screamed. I couldn't tell.
The club swung down again, only this time Professor Sileas buckled under its weight. She was wheezing in pain trying to balance on one knee, it brought me out of my blind panic, if she kept that barrier up much longer it was going to cripple her.
I hesitated for a split second, but I acknowledged that she was already disoriented and would probably not recognise my abilities in her current state. Throwing my cloak to the ground, I used Delphine's horns to cut open my palm to create a sword out of my own blood before charging at the beast.
It was just like training with my father, only without the security of knowing that my opponent would not cause me real harm. I dodged another swing and ducked to make a strike at its legs. It landed and the troll howled in agony. Dashing to the side as fast as I could, I barely managed to escape the hit in time, it cracked the ground on impact. I jumped up on top of a stall door, propelling myself off to slash the neck of my opponent. The gurgling shriek that followed would be in my nightmares for weeks to come. Trying to make its way over to me the troll fell, its injured leg gave out under it, falling with a deafening boom, crawling at me while still gasping for breath. It didn't make it far before seizing all movement.
My blade turned back into blood and returned to my body. Turning around to check on Delphini and the professor, I saw the ladder was leaning over her unconscious form. I dashed over to see if I could help, coming to my knees beside them. She was breathing but shakily, Delphini’s hands were glowing, a sign that she was healing the teacher with her Eneoji (energy in korean sorry if misspelt). We sat there in silence staring at Professor Sileas, waiting for her to wake up when the potions teacher came running through the door. We turned around to face him. He stared at the troll's body for a few seconds before turning to face us. He went pale after laying eyes on the unconscious teacher.
“Sileas!” he screamed in noticeable terror. He practically threw himself at her grabbing her wrist to check for a pulse, all while murmuring ‘not again’ over and over in a frantic manner. I wasn't quite sure how to react, and judging by Delphini’s expression neither did she. After seemingly finding a pulse he hugged her tightly and started crying, completely uncaring that we were there. Delphini seemed to find her voice as she said.
“Um, Professor Snape, she's going to be fine but we should probably take her to the medical wing. And - “ she faltered. "Also move the troll.” it took a moment for him to respond, he was probably too distraught about the professor's condition to process the information quickly. He wiped his eyes and nodded before taking Professor Silias in his arms trying to make her as comfortable as possible, and walking past the trolls' corpse then out the door, or whatever remained of it.
We made it to the medic wing in what was probably record time. Me and Delphini stood by the door as Professor Snape made his way over to a bed to lay her down, he then made his way into a room further at the back, no doubt where Madam Pomfrey was. It was quiet, the only noises that could be heard were the shallow breaths of Professor Sileas and the muffled voices of Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey.
Their voices suddenly became clearer as the door opened and they made their way over to the bed that Professor Sileas was laying on. We watched as Madam Pomfrey busied herself with her patient's condition asking Professor Severus to give her privacy before drawing the curtain, further blocking our view of our teacher's condition. Professor Severus made his way over to us and pulled out two pieces of paper. It only now dawned on me that we were in our true forms. I froze. Even if he seemed close to Professor Sileas, that didn't mean that he wasn't prejudiced.
“Sorry for only now giving you these. I was too overwhelmed by my sister's condition to acknowledge how nervous you would be if you were seen.”
Wait, sister? They were siblings? That would mean that he is safe right? “Thank you.” I didn't like how vulnerable I sounded.
~ Sileas’s point of view ~
I felt weightless for a bit. It was nice, cool and comfortable. I didn't want to move but the bright light kept me from sleeping any longer. I opened my eyes only to immediately close them seconds later. My head was pounding like crazy and the pain racking my body came flooding back, though noticeably less intense. I tried to say something but my throat was so dry it stung. Through the ringing in my ears I could hear someone yelling, though I couldn't make out a word. A few moments later, there were gentle hands helping me to sit upright. A glass of water was placed against my lips and I drank it gratefully. Squinting through the light I was able to make out three? No, maybe five people? I couldn't be sure as I was not only squinting because of the light, but I could feel the lack of glasses.
“Um, hi, I can't really see or hear you properly, too much light.” It was a weak attempt but it worked, as one of the figures moved and seemed to draw a curtain of some kind. The empty glass was taken and replaced with another glass. A healing potion, if the smell was anything to go by. I sipped at it, the bitterness helping to wake me up. I closed my eyes and rested my back against the bed frame. I was halfway through the glass when my hearing started returning, I opened my eyes once again quickly adapting to the dim light.
“I'm feeling much better now, though I would like my glasses.” My glasses were placed gently on my face and my vision became clear. The first person I saw was my fiance, Evangeline. She had a worried look on her face. Her eyes were red, it looked like she had been crying. Reaching my hand out to cup her cheek, I asked, “Why were you crying?” she looked a bit miffed at that, but still leaned into the palm of my hand. It was silent so I took that moment to look around the room. The first face I saw was Madam Pomfrey's. She was putting together a tray of food. The second and third were the two students who had been with me when the troll attacked. I scanned them looking for injuries, but they seemed fine. It appeared that my wishes were granted and Sev had arrived in time.“You were knocked out for two days.” Sev looked rather dejected as he said that.
To say I was surprised was an understatement. I knew that I had passed out, but for two days? “Two days? Damn that thing really took me out, and it wasn't even a fully grown troll.” Young-Soon and Delphini's eyes widened at that notion. After fully regaining my senses, I remembered the weird behavior exhibited by the troll. “This wasn't a freak accident. There's no way a troll that age would be that strong and aggressive. Not to mention that it didn't seem affected by the silver light of the Argen Scutum spell and that works on the adults.”
Pomfrey placed the tray of food on my lap and I became painfully aware of how hungry I was. I watched Sev and Evangaline look at each other in concern, having a silent conversation. “Indeed, we found traces of an altered hypnosis potion in its blood. The odd green tint it had was a dead give away.” I knew it. The damned snake was starting to make a move and it almost killed two innocent kids. “Do you know who? They would have to be a member of staff in order to get the troll onto school grounds, no student of ours would have that kind of access to such a creature. I suspect Quirrell." Sev gave me an unimpressed look. “We believe so too but we have to be conscious of throwing accusations around. We don’t want whoever's responsible to be onto us.” Now I was giving Sev an unimpressed look. “We need to act quickly, what if they strike again and someone gets seriously hurt?” They all looked at me like I was in need of a reality check. “I am at a loss for words” despite being lost for words Sev yelled at me for the next 45 minutes.
Chapter 21 - second strike
November finally came around, we had managed to keep most of the details about the fight with the troll from getting out, though the absence of astronomy classes had been noticed. The return trip to Australia was growing nearer but as for the Quidditch matches, they were just around the corner and Draco was adamant about watching them with Harry, so he could be the one to formally introduce him to it. The two had become much closer now that Harry was comfortable enough to speak freely and bump shoulders with him. As a sibling, I was required to be there as Snape's moral support and having the two around would certainly make it more interesting.
It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin this time, and the rivalry between the two teams was going to make the game rather hectic. The time flew by with the energetic buzz of the school awaiting the latest game, particularly for the Quidditch fan students, to see if their house team would earn the bragging rights. Before long, the majority of the school's inhabitants were lining the spectator stands eagerly anticipating the teams to go out into the field, mount their broomsticks, and take off into the air. I was seated next to Sev just in front of Quirrell, who despite never appearing at previous games, decided to come to this one. I could see Harry and Draco sitting side by side talking animatedly with one another, they were in the back row where there were less students. I wondered which team they were going to cheer for, I personally was going for Slytherin, partly obligatory.
“How's your team this year Sev? Are they any good?”
“They’re good enough.”
“Knew you’d say that.”
The teams finally made their way onto the field and the match began. It wasn't as big a deal as the announcer was making it out to be, but it was a good game considering the players were still in school. Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor took the quaffle almost immediately before passing it to Alicia Spinit, back to Johnson, but then Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin team, took the quaffle. He almost scored but was stopped by Gryffindor keeper, Wood. Katy Bell takes the quaffle for Gryffindor diving around Flint, only to get hit in the back of the head by a bludger. Adrien Pucey of Slytherin, takes the quaffle speeding towards the goal, but is blocked by a second bludger sent his way by either Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which at this distance. Johnson’s back in possession of the quaffle, dodging another bludger whilst speeding towards the goal, keeper Bletchley dives, misses, and Gryffindor scores.
Sev and Draco slouched, and Harry couldn't have looked more invested in the game if he tried. Patting Sev on the shoulder, I turned my attention back to the game, the golden light just noticeably whizzing by, I really could have been a good seeker if only the game wasn't so loud. Draco would not stop begging me to teach him if he found out that Sev had convinced me to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team (even though I got out as fast as I could), as my name was still carved into the school's Quidditch hall of fame.
I much prefer riding horses then flying on a broom anyway.
By the time I came back from my trip down memory lane, the Slytherin and Gryffindor seekers were neck to neck, and all of a sudden Marcus Flint moved right in the way of the Gryffindor seeker. The kid nearly fell off of his broom trying to avoid a collision. ‘‘Foul!’’ yelled the Gryffindors, and Madam Hooch ordered that the Gryffindors be given a free shot at the goal post, but in all the confusion, the kids lost sight of the snitch.
“Do you have eyes on the snitch?” It was Sev who asked the obvious question.
“Yep, I would tell you but by the time I get the words out it would be in a different spot.” Sev sighed in dejection. He always liked the game, he begged me to join because he wanted to play it with me. It was the sole reason I joined in the first place.
“You should have a chat with that Marcus kid. He could get himself or someone else really hurt if he keeps pulling stunts like that.” He sighed again, nodding before turning back to the game. I was about to join him in his observation, when all of a sudden a fire had caught at the back of the stands exactly where Draco and Harry were sitting.
“Sh*t! Stop the game, there's a fire in the stands.” I exclaimed. It seemed that besides the kids that were actively being burned, I was the only one who had noticed the fire since everyone else was preoccupied by the game. Sev had looked at me in bewilderment before following my gaze as the realization struck. He quickly stood up, knocking over Quirrell who was sitting behind them, running over to the announcement booth to the chagrin of Lee Jordan. Sev’s voice boomed in the stadium. “There's a fire in the stands, students , please evacuate before it further spreads.” It was only after those words were spoken that the crowd came back to earth and collective panic ensued.
Students pushed each other out of the way in a mad dash for the exits. The other members of staff and I began to put the flames out. The students who had not managed to escape the flames, mostly had first degree burns which could be easily treated, but the ones at the very back had at least second degree burns. Luckily there were only three students with second degree burns, but one was already more than there should have been. Madam Pomfrey was going to be buried in work for a while. There should really be an assistant nurse, especially for emergencies such as this.
~ Time Skip ~
"Yeah. And they can deal with it like adults." I scoffed. "If they have a problem they can build a bridge and get over it." I was glaring at Dumbledork now. This was beyond ridiculous, we desperately needed to compile evidence against Quirrell and send him to Azkaban before he kills someone. “Look, if this is about your precious public image, then you’re going about it in the wrong way. Firing the traitor is going to be better in the long run anyway, because if a student is murdered like Myrtle was, then this school is going to burn and there will be no reputation left at all to be damaged.” He couldn't deny the logic and it was obvious who the traitor was; we both knew what was underneath the turban he wears and that is all the evidence that they will need. Blubbering Quirrell slaying a zombie for an African Prince, and receiving the turban as a ‘gift’? Yeah right, we all know that’s bullsh*t. Never trust a white person wearing a turban, especially in this heat.
The meeting went on for a few hours more, and we were as close to an answer by the end of it as we were when the meeting began. We were all in a sour mood as we left. Back in my room, Sev was making tea as I was organising all the info I had on Quirrell into a format that even the idiots at the Ministry of Magic could understand. “They can't ignore this any longer. And if they do, so help me.” The nervous energy surrounding Sev was very apparent, but I couldn't bring myself to calm down. I had lost so much to these b*stards already, I wasn't about to let them do it to someone else, not when Shoji was going to attend this school the next year. If nobody else was going to act, then I’d have to take it into my own hands. My thoughts were rushing around in my head trying to dig around for something that could help me. The traps they had set up when they were planning on housing the philosopher's stone. Only me, Sev and the old git knew that it wasn't here. It was a perfect trap, and I would be waiting on the other side.