Chapter 13
Crystal lay on the bed in the room she had been taken to after the head lice incident last night. Since the teachers couldn’t sort the rest of the students with a hat full of lice, they had to give the unsorted first years their own rooms.
The professors also had the students who contracted head lice stay in different rooms as well, to prevent further spread. From what Crystal had heard, the professors were looking for a way to clean the hat since cleaning charms were failing to remove the dirt and grime.
Crystal could have told them that, depending on when the hat was last cleaned, it could take a dozen or more charms to clean it. Even then, it would be better to clean it by hand. The charms wouldn't get rid of the head lice that had settled into the hat.
About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Crystal answered it, seeing the stern-looking professor from the sorting ceremony standing there.
Professor McGonagall was once again wearing emerald green robes with a pointed witch's hat. Crystal had to bite her tongue to keep from making a sassy comment about Halloween being a few months away.
Professor McGonagall’s lips pursed when she saw Crystal, making it clear she was displeased. It seemed the professor was blaming Crystal for the events of the previous night.
“It wasn’t my fault that no one had cleaned that hat for decades. If I hadn’t said anything, no one would have known about the lice and it would have spread throughout the school. At least I helped prevent that from happening,” Crystal said calmly, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.
Professor McGonagall’s expression didn’t soften. “Be that as it may, next time listen to your professors and follow their instructions. If you have a concern, ask to speak to one of us privately and explain your worries.”
Crystal frowned. Was this professor seriously telling her to obey orders even if they might be harmful? “With all due respect, ma’am, if I’m asked to do something that could harm me, I won’t do it. Speaking of which, when can I see the school nurse to inform her of my allergies?”
Professor McGonagall seemed taken aback by the question. “Madam Pomfrey is the school’s healer. You may see her after you’ve finished your breakfast.”
The professor then led the group of first-years to the Great Hall and gestured for them to take a seat at a small table that had clearly been dragged out of storage. Crystal winced as she sat down; the bench was made of cheap oak and felt splintered, and the table was in similarly poor condition. It was clear no one had taken care of these items for years.
Crystal grabbed some bananas, strawberries, yogurt, and pancakes on a gold plate, noting the school’s wasteful extravagance. Before she could eat, she shuddered as a red mist floated out of her mouth. Having learned early on that she was a fire-core ghost, she had been taught by Ember to control it.
Ember, despite not knowing much about her, had agreed to help her learn about her fire core. Crystal wished she had a place where she could be herself—both human and ghost. Hiding her ghost side in the magical world was just another layer of the secrecy she had to maintain.
She noticed a pale, pearly-white ghost watching her. His eyes were pitch black, and his face looked gaunt, as if he had starved to death. His robes were pale with darker silver stains, and he was wrapped in silvery chains that seemed to anchor him to the living world. He wore a curly powdered wig and had a sword at his hip.
Crystal hoped he didn’t realize what she was; being half alive and half dead made her a target for experimentation. She finished her breakfast and, ignoring the ghost, asked an older student for directions to the hospital wing.
The student, a Hufflepuff named Cedric Diggory, kindly offered to show her the way. Cedric was tall and well-muscled, with dark brown hair and bright gray eyes.
“Sorry, I never asked for your name,” Crystal said, feeling embarrassed.
Cedric laughed, “I’m Cedric Diggory. Nice to meet you, little lady.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Cedric,” Crystal responded.
"You can call me Cedric," the guy, Cedric, said with a wink. It wasn't in a weird way; it was clear he was joking around to help her relax as he led her to the hospital wing.
"You can call me Crystal, then," she responded.
"Mind if I ask why you're visiting the hospital wing? You're not hurt, are you?" Cedric asked, his eyes full of concern as he looked her over, searching for any hidden injuries.
Crystal shook her head. "I'm not hurt, no. I just want to let the nurse know about my allergies."
Cedric tilted his head. "Your allergies?"
Crystal nodded, her hair bouncing slightly with how fast she nodded. "Yeah, my allergies. I'm allergic to blood blossoms."
Cedric's eyes widened. "Wait, blood blossoms? Aren't those only supposed to hurt ghosts?"
Crystal silently panicked, realizing she might have messed up, before deciding to go with a half-truth. "They are, but when I was little, I was hurt by ectoplasm. It hasn't done anything besides making blood blossoms hurt me when I'm around them. I don't know if the school here uses the blossoms for anything, so I want to let the nurse know ahead of time."
Cedric was shocked and a bit confused. "What's ectoplasm, and how did it make blood blossoms hurt you?"
Crystal blinked at Cedric, confused. Did these people not know what ghosts were made of? At least ten ghosts were floating around the castle, eleven if you included the poltergeist she'd heard about.
"You know, ectoplasm—the stuff ghosts are made of?"
"Wait, ghosts are made of this ectoplasm stuff?" Cedric was clearly surprised.
Crystal nodded again, slower this time. "Yeah, they're made of ectoplasm, at least the ghosts I know of are."
"Wait, what do you mean 'the ghosts you know of'—" Cedric cut himself off as his eyes widened again. "How did you come into contact with ectoplasm in the Muggle world?"
"You didn't actually think only magicals turned into ghosts, did you?" Crystal raised an eyebrow with a small smirk. "There are Muggle ghosts too."
Crystal laughed when she saw Cedric's jaw drop. "I'll admit, I was surprised when I saw the ghosts here. They're so different from Muggle ghosts."
"Can I ask how they're different?" Cedric asked after a few minutes of silence, still shocked by what he was hearing. He would have to mention this to his dad.
"Well, for one thing, they're transparent all the time. The ghosts I know from the Muggle world are solid. Sure, they can turn transparent, but that's only if they want to go through something." Crystal looked up at the sign for the hospital wing before glancing at the shocked boy beside her.
"I'll tell you more another time if you want. I've hardly explained anything about Muggle ghosts. I have to admit, it's nice to talk about them without people judging me." Crystal gave Cedric a smile before walking into the hospital wing, silently hoping he could find his way back to his friends despite being in such shock.
Inside, she saw a woman with gray hair styled in a bun and wearing a red dress with a white apron. The room had white walls, a light gray floor, and eight beds. A door at the back likely led to the woman’s office or bedroom.
“Oh dear, someone hurt already? I swear, one of these days I’m going to have a patient before the train even arrives.” Crystal jumped when she heard the woman speak, realizing she hadn’t noticed her turn around.
“Ma’am, I’m not hurt. I’m just here to make sure my files reflect my allergies,” she explained, taking a moment to calm her racing heart.
The woman paused, then nodded. “Well, that’s much better than waiting to tell me until you’re in one of these beds.”
Crystal smiled. “I thought so too, ma’am.” She hesitated before asking sheepishly, “Ma’am, may I know your name, please?”
The woman laughed softly. “I am Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the medi-witch for the school. Please call me Madam Pomfrey.”
“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,” Crystal said, nodding gratefully.
“Of course, dear. Now, what are you allergic to?” Madam Pomfrey asked, summoning some files, probably to update them with Crystal’s allergy information.
“I’m allergic to blood blossoms. I know they’re only supposed to affect ghosts, but when I was younger, I was in an accident and exposed to a lot of ectoplasm—the stuff that makes up ghosts. Luckily, the only effect was that I’m affected by things that affect ghosts. Other than that, there were no other side effects,” Crystal explained, hoping the medi-witch would accept her story.
Madam Pomfrey gasped. “Are you sure there are no other effects?”
Crystal paused before responding, “Well, sometimes when I’m angry, my eyes glow slightly blue, but other than that, there’s nothing. I’ve been checked over several times over the years to be sure.”
Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips thoughtfully before nodding. “Alright. If you’ve already been checked, I’ll add this to your files. It’s a good thing you told me about this; some of the potions we use contain blood blossoms.”
“Can you let my professors know, Madam Pomfrey? I don’t want them to think I’m lying,” Crystal requested, feeling a sense of urgency. She was concerned that without confirmation, no one would believe her.
“Yes, I’ll make sure to inform them. It’s probably best if I do. Now, you should go outside while the weather is still nice.” Madam Pomfrey shooed Crystal out of the hospital wing before heading off to speak with the Headmaster and arrange a meeting with the professors.