Lost in cooling
The cold air hits your face as you open one of the large doors to the outside of Hogwarts. You cast a wordless warming spell on yourself and hurry out of the castle. As you put your headphones in your ear and choose some suitable music. You notice that Mr. Flich is looking at you with a grumpy expression on his face. You give him a small smile anyway and walk past him quickly. When you hear the song Pieces by Elley Duhe, you sprint away from the building. You urgently need to blow off steam and hurry towards the forbidden forest. When you reach the edge of the forest, you take a big breath. You weave between the trees in a dancing motion through the forest. When you were sure you were deep enough, you started to sing.
You want a dose of that emotion….
Say that's the only thing you need…..
I let you taste it for a moment…..
And now you want some more of me…..
You gotta spread that out
As the lights go down
Takin' everything I'm givin'
That's enough right now
You want all my love
Want it all at once
But is it too much?
I'm gonna make you cry now, baby
I'm gonna make you die….
You want the whole damn pie, now baby
But you've only had one slice
I only give you pieces….
Pieces……
Pieces…… of me….”
You finally arrived at a small glade and watched as the first rays of sunlight slowly sparkled past the trees. The sight was breathtaking and magical at the same time. Unfortunately, there was no forest near Beauxbatons School, so you were denied such beautiful natural phenomena. You were all the more thrilled by the little spectacle that was now revealed to you. And although the forbidden forest was classified as dangerous, you were not afraid of it. You felt so comfortable and relaxed at that moment that you took a little moment for yourself. You sit with your legs crossed on an old tree trunk and close your eyes. You also remove your headphones for a moment to listen to the nature around you.
Nature had its own music and you could hear the forest slowly moving. The trees rustled, the birds chirped in the distance and the wind whistled through the dense forest. You have always admired nature and couldn't help but sigh with relief as you relaxed more and more. You lingered like this for a good while. When you heard a small rustling sound nearby, you slowly opened your eyes. You looked around and saw nothing unusual. But you felt your fingers start to tingle. Surprised by your own behavior, you slowly made your way out of the forest. You started walking towards the castle and you couldn't suppress the feeling that someone might be silently watching you.
The tingling at your fingertips increases in intensity and you try to control your tension with targeted breathing exercises. But you quickly realize that you need another distraction. You grab your wand and call for your broom. It takes a moment for it to do so and finally you leap towards the broom flying towards you. You tense your whole body against the broom. Your tension eased as you flew higher and higher, slowly heading towards the black lake. You only had one thought in your head: wetness, cold, refreshment and distraction. Before you could think of anything else, you flew over the black lake and dropped into the depths. It seemed like slow motion to you at the moment. The fall, your gaze towards the castle, while behind you the sun's rays embraced you. You felt no fear as your pace quickened and a slight tear formed in your eye. You finally take another deep breath before the wet blackness greets you with a loud, echoing clap.
The cold embraced you so abruptly that you found it very difficult not to let your breathing cry out underwater for the moment. But you were quickly touched by a silence and numbness that could have transported you to blissful nirvana. You enjoyed the moment with your eyes closed and couldn't help thinking what it would be like if you could stay here forever. Abruptly, you surface again as your lungs gasp for air. As you take a deep breath and your eyes shake off the droplets of water. Try to focus your attention back on reality. "What the hell?" you say to yourself. "Why, am I acting like this?". You huff and puff as you make your way to shore. As you stagger out of the lake, you keep shaking your head. What's been wrong with you, you've been acting like this ever since you met the Headmaster. Your whole body reacts in frustration, but before you can give it another thought. A shiver runs over you as the temperature in your surroundings changes abruptly. A veil of mist settled over the black lake and you felt a slight icy chill that quickly spread. You sensed a sinister presence, but saw nothing in your field of vision. You struggled to get out of the water, shivering slightly, while the wet sportswear stuck to your skin and added extra weight. The small drops of water that trickle under your clothes freeze halfway through and form light pearl fragments.
Your efforts and eagerness are finally accelerated as your instincts tell you something is true and you hurry to the castle. Finally, you realize that there is a Dementor near your location. You watch as the hooded figure saunters out of the forbidden forest, floating in your direction. "Shit," you say to yourself and finally take off running. You could easily cast a Patronus spell, but you finally decide against it. Your Patronus spell is a little more conspicuous, since it's very powerful and you didn't want anyone to see it.
When you finally reach the gate, you throw yourself against the large gates of Hogwarts. You literally stumble to the ground inside the building. You gasp as you slowly try to steady yourself. Finally, in the distance, you hear hurried footsteps coming towards you. You noticed several footsteps and tried to guess which direction they were coming from. From a distance, you finally saw Professor McGonagall hurrying towards the gate. You furrow your eyebrows as you see a tall, thin man coming with her. The man has a pale face with premature signs of aging and light brown hair, but it had a grayish tinge to it. Once both apparitions were closer to you, you realized that the stranger had a thin mustache and noticeable scars on his face. On the whole, the strange tall man still looked nice and friendly. You wondered if you had overused his presence a little more than he deserved.
"Miss Swan," McGonagall scolded breathlessly at last. You wince as you hear her excited voice. The stranger next to her gives you a pitying smile in response. "What are you doing outside the walls of Hogwarts while Dementors are patrolling the grounds outside?" "You're lucky they haven't sucked all the happiness out of you and you still have the privilege of not having to sit in the hospital wing again because of it," she remarked afterwards. She barely caught her breath as she shied away from me with her speech. I winced a little more, and not just because of my wet clothes. I was a little cold by now. But also from the fact that she was mothering me. McGonagall only noticed my condition now and her features softened. "God child, did you fall into the lake?" she asked while taking a small cloth handkerchief from her pocket as she transfigured it into a woolen blanket and finally placed it over you. You accepted the blanket gratefully.
Finally, the stranger stepped a little closer and finally spoke up. "Minerva I believe she didn't receive that information after she fainted in the Great Hall," he continued, "So I don't think that was her intention to put herself in danger," he said as he let his eyes wander from you to McGonagall. You saw something playful flash in his grayish-green eyes as he moved with confidence and small steps. Then you remembered that the stranger was the professor who spoke to the Headmaster during the Sorting. And his voice resembled the stranger in the hospital wing. You nod your head as you hug the blanket closer to you. Hoping that this situation will sort itself out again. McGonagall held a hand away from her mouth in horror. "Remus, that was foolish of us," she confirmed. "Which doesn't answer the question about the wet clothes," he remarked afterwards, giving you a mischievous grin.
You blush a little and try as hard as you can to hide it with the blanket. Finally, you clear your throat and explain yourself. "I was at sea to cool off from training," you say, trying not to give out any more information. Both professors looked at you in slight disbelief and confusion. "An extraordinary way to try and cool off on a cold September day, Miss Swan," Professor McGonagall chided.
Before your professors could say anything else, the large entrance gates opened behind you. All heads, including yours, turned towards the gate. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw Headmaster Snape enter at the front door. Who had your broom in his hand, but it was hidden behind his back.