Hogwarts II
November 12th, 1974
Time flew by so fast. The first term would be over in less than a month and Agnes had a lot of homework due soon. Fortunately, she was ahead on many subjects and had submitted a few of her papers in advance. As Professor Flitwick had suggested, doing extra-curricular activities filled her days with enthusiasm and motivation. Some students were struggling a bit more than others, so the professor would spend more time with them, leaving the more skilled ones in autonomy.
Agnes had therefore plenty of opportunity to practice more advanced spells with the other students in her group. They were some really good assets, indeed, which knew a lot of different magic, while some preferred focusing on a few spells but master it to make it more powerful.
Agnes was a bit of both, she liked experimenting throughout practices.
Today was the evaluation for each level group, giving the opportunity to lower group to join the highest ranked places.
- Diggory, Scamander, you're first.
Two tall boys emerged from the little crowd of students and came to face each other, wand in hand. The match began and Agnes was quite impressed by the intense exchange of spells.
Soon enough, another team of students came forward.
When it got to Agnes' turn, she felt excited. She didn't mind losing. Although she'd try her best not to. She just wanted to try this new spell she'd been practicing on her own for the past few days.
- Next, Lenoir and Snape! Called the professor.
A black haired boy stepped forward. He was tall for his age, and rather slim. His hair were falling on his ears to his neck, and looked as dark as a crow's feathers. His eyes were the same color, and Agned detected a strange sparkle in them. Thanks to the color of his tie, she knew he belonged to the Slytherin house.
She had seen him a few times before. He was in the same level group as her, and was two years below her. The same age as Joshua, she thought. The two students stood straight, the wand in front of them, and the professor announced the begining of the match.
The young boy had started fast with a Stupefy spell, which Agnes had avoided brilliantly. Her goal was to determine his weaknesses before attacking. And she'd found it pretty fast. He seemed too abrupt in his spell, as if he wanted to prove something. His eagerness to win seemed to make him afraid of being looked down on if he were to lose.
Agnes opted for Expelliarmus, but it didn't work as Snape dodged it easily. The professor was getting a little impatient.
- Don't hold back, Lenoir. He said, writing down on his evaluation paper.
Right. She did not have to refrain from casting stronger spells. Snape could take it.
- Bombarda!!
This time, the younger student took the spell right in his stomach, and was projected onto the wall behind him. She had won.
- Brilliant! All right, Snape?
- Y-yes. Said the Slythering student, standing up with difficulty.
Brilliant, she thought. She was proud of herself. The adrenaline of duelling, the other student supporting and clapping in excitement was what she liked a lot.
She was sure of one thing, her place in the higher ranks was most certainly secured.
***
November 29th, 1974
Today was a rainy day, like there was so many in Scotland. Agnes missed the dryness of the south of France, sometimes. But she enjoyed curling up under blankets in the Ravenclaw's common room, listening to her roommates sing and share funny stories about what had happened in class that day. The Ravenclaws were always eager to perform in all sorts of creative ways, and they could enjoy hilarious one-man shows or inspirational dances from the students in the evenings.
She truly loved her house and felt proud to be a ravenclaw.
Agnes was wandering around the castle, exploring as many corridors, set of stairs, or empty rooms as she could. She had already discovered a few hidden passages which, jus like in Beauxbatons, led to the kitchen, and other forbidden places.
After a while, she'd reached the viaduct, where she was protected from the rain by the old-looking roof. She liked to come here and look at the horizon. It was calm and truly relaxing. She also wanted to see the Giant Squid who apparently lived in the Black Lake, but hadn't got the chance to yet.
She stayed like this for a while, looking down at the thick water. She was focusing her eyes on the small waves, trying to see through it, but it was so dark nothing could pierce from below.
The young witch extended her hand from under the protected space, trying to catch some rain drops falling. Eventually, her palm was soaking wet.
She looked intensively at it, as she felt her heart beating in her chest. She could also feel the blood running through her veins, and the wind crushing into her face.
Slowly, the rain drop in her hand started to elevate in the air, separating from her skin, as she kept her eyes locked onto it.
The drops were dancing in the air, twirling around the young witch, as she grabbed a few more to make it bigger. Soon enough, the air around her as well as the rain were moving around, creating a sphere of powerful elemental magic. It felt so right, using everything around her, all the natural objects, mixing the translucid rain with the invisible air surrounding, making it a strong shield to protect her.
Her eyes looked down again on the lake, where a stronger current was crushing into the viaduct and seemed to want to reach Agnes from below.
She felt so alive!
***
November 30th, 1974
Agnes found herself facing Snape once again during duelling practice. The young boy had requested personally to the professor for the young witch to practice with him. She had been surprised by this peculiar sollicitation, as they had never really talked after their last encounter, and that Severus Snape did not look like someone who were the friendly type.
Today, Agnes felt a bit sick. She had practiced her elemental magic for too long the previous day and seemed to have caught a cold. She had felt feverish during the morning classes, and had a runny nose.
Still, she wouldn't say no to a good duel. The slytherin was good and a promising opponent. She had seen him practice passionately for the past weeks, and he seemed to get better day by day.
This time, she had attacked first. But her movements were slow and she had nearly got smacked in the face by a Incendio spell. She felt so weak and her vision was getting blurry. Not a good day for a fight, she thought.
She managed to touch Snape with her powerful expelliarmus, but he was too fast and used an unforeseen Stupefy on her, which she didn't see coming.
A second later, she was crushed into the ground, unable to move. As the professor approached her in a hurry, her eyes closed as she fainted from exhaustion.
She woke up in the nursery an hour later. It was her first time here, since she had started attending Hogwarts. It was a beautiful and bright room were many beds were displayed all around. Her whole body ached from the pain, but her fever had somewhat lessened. She drank the healing solution the nurse had left on the table and felt instantly better.
On the bed beside her, a young boy was laying down, reading a magazine. He looked paler than Agnes was, and had bandages all over his arms and on his neck. What could have he done to look so harmed? He did not however looked so much in pain, and was just reading casually.
- Now, what happened to you? She asked, streching her body while sitting on the bed.
The teenager looked up from his magazine, and searched around before stopping his glance on Agnes. He seemed shocked someone has talked to him. They looked at each other in silence before Agnes bursted out laughing out of awkwardness. Was that so strange that she had wanted to start a conversation? The young wizard put his magazine down and kept staring curiously at the witch.
- Feeling like a champ', just on a spriritual retreat as you may see. He said, calmly.
Agnes looked at him for a sec, before laughing again. He was a funny one. He did seem serious, but his words said otherwise.
- Does it hurt? She asked.
- Not that much anymore. He answered, turning his eyes back to his magazine.
She stared at him a bit longer, and analyzed the young man. He had light brown hair, almost blond, and beautiful eyes. His skin was pale and had a big scar running across his face. That must have been hurting a lot, she'd thought.
They stayed like this a while, before the nurse came to check on the boy's bandages. Agnes was feeling already better, and thought she might get the authorization to go back to the dorms, but the middle-age lady thought otherwise.
The curtains were now separating the two beds so the young witch couldn't continue her conversation with the other student He did look familiar but she couldn't point out where she'd seen him.
After a few minutes or so, someone entered the nursery. It was Snape.
- Did you get your butt kicked too, now? She asked him, feeling still quite bittersweet he had won their duel.
- The professor sends me. He answered, simply.
Agnes waited for more but the student was just standing there, staring right at her. She noticed he was fidgeting the sleeve of his uniform.
- He asked me to check on you. He added.
- Alright, you can tell him I'm all goo-
- Why were you so weak? He said urgently.
Agnes looked at him and laughed nervously, shocked by his sudden change of tone. His eyes looked curious and he seemed eager to know the reason of her defeat.
- I... I guess you were too strong for me, Snape. You did a really good job earlier an-
- That's rubbish. You were in no conditions to duel, yet you accepted the fight. Next time, I'll win when you are in full health conditions.
On that last word, he was gone. Agnes was flabbergasted. That boy was... interesting but... damn strange.
She heard the curtains next to her open and the young boy with bandages turned to her.
- He's odd, isn't he? He said.
- Are all Slytherins like that? She asked.
- You could say that.
They glanced at each other and bursted out laughing, the young man holding his stomach to avoid the pain.
- Who are you, by the way?
- I'm Lupin. Remus Lupin.