The Daughter of Valancaire

The day started like any other. I woke up early, as usual, feeling the familiar weight of my own thoughts pressing down on me. My mind was still wrapped up in the events from yesterday—the Sorting Ceremony, the girl with the blue eyes. Jessa. I couldn’t get her out of my head, even after hours of trying.

She’d been so familiar, yet so foreign. And when our eyes locked—something shifted inside me. It was as if we’d met before, though I knew we hadn’t. The whole experience felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place, but I didn’t know how to fit it into the bigger picture.

I made my way to the common room, determined to distract myself. When I entered, Jace was already sitting by the fire, looking like he was lost in his own thoughts. I figured I’d at least try to talk to him—there was a lot I needed to figure out, and no one else seemed to understand it.

“Morning,” I greeted, my voice quiet as I approached him. 

“Morning,” Jace replied, not looking up at first. Then his eyes met mine, sharp and full of thought. I could tell he was holding something back, but what?

I didn’t waste any time. “What is it? You wanted to talk. So, let’s talk.”

He hesitated for a second, his fingers tracing the edge of his seat. “You noticed it too, didn’t you?” he asked, his voice low. “About Jessa?”

I raised an eyebrow, confused. “What are you talking about?”

He leaned forward slightly, and for a moment, his expression was heavy, as if burdened with a truth he wasn’t sure he could share. “She’s been asleep for years, Sebastian. Lost her memory. Woke up only recently.” 

My breath caught in my chest. I blinked, trying to process his words. “She’s been asleep? For years?” The shock of it hit me like a punch to the gut. “Why didn’t you say anything about that?”

Jace looked at me as if he expected the question, his eyes clouded with the weight of something unsaid. “I didn’t know how. But now… she’s awake. She’s here. And I’m just trying to figure it all out.”

I shook my head, still trying to grasp the idea of her being asleep for so long. It felt impossible. “Why are you telling me this?”

He exhaled deeply, his gaze turning toward the fireplace. There was something in the way he spoke now—an honesty that wasn’t easy to come by. “Because… I need to tell someone. I need you to understand. You felt it, didn’t you?”

I frowned, unsure of what he meant. “Felt what?”

He met my eyes then, his expression unwavering. “When she looked at you. When she locked eyes with you, Sebastian. I felt it too. What she felt. And that’s why I’m telling you now.”

I stood still, processing his words. He could feel it? The same thing I had felt, the strange pull when her gaze met mine? It wasn’t just me—Jace had felt it too.

“So you think… this connection between us, it’s real?” I asked, my voice softer now, unsure. “What is it?”

Jace sighed, rubbing his temples as if the weight of it all was too much. “I don’t know. But I know something’s different. She’s different. I can’t explain it. But when I saw you two meet, I knew. It’s like she recognized you in a way I can’t even put into words.”

I paused, trying to absorb everything he was saying. “But why would she feel something for me? She doesn’t know me. She’s only just woken up, right?”

Jace’s gaze was intense now, but there was a vulnerability in his voice. “I don’t know. But something about her—something about her eyes, her energy... it’s all connected. And I don’t know how, but it feels like it has always been this way. Like everything led up to this moment.”

I looked away, my thoughts spinning. This was all happening too fast. Jessa—the girl I’d barely met—was already pulling at something deep inside me. I could still feel the weight of her stare, the way it made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I didn’t understand it, but I couldn’t deny it.

“I don’t know what this is, Jace,” I finally said, turning back to him. “But I do know one thing—there’s something between us. Something... I can’t explain.”

Jace didn’t say anything for a moment, but I could see the understanding in his eyes. He knew. He was feeling it too.

As Jace walked out, I stood there, alone with my thoughts, the weight of this strange connection settling deeper into my chest. What was it? And more importantly—what was I supposed to do with it?

-----

I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. There was so much to think about, so much to untangle. Jessa. Her strange connection to me. The way her eyes locked with mine, and the way I felt... something I couldn’t quite explain. It was too much, too fast. And just as I was starting to process it, Jace’s words echoed in my mind again: *“Keep it to yourself, Sebastian. Don’t tell anyone. Not yet.”*

Why was this suddenly my problem? What was this pull between me and Jessa, and why did it feel like it had been there all along?

The more I thought about it, the more it only added to the mountain of stress already on my shoulders. **Anne**. Her curse. I hadn’t even begun to truly face the extent of what had happened to her. The pain, the horror of it all, weighed on me constantly. Every day felt like a battle to keep it under control, to keep it from consuming me. **Anne**—my sister—wasn’t the same anymore. She couldn’t even remember the simple things. That curse had changed everything for her. 

And now, Jessa. What more could this world throw at me? Another mystery, another complication I didn’t ask for. It felt like the universe had it out for me, throwing challenges at me when all I wanted was a little peace. Some clarity.

I let out a frustrated breath, staring at the fire flickering in the common room. It should have been a soothing sight, but all I could feel was the weight pressing down on my chest. 

I had enough to deal with. I had **Anne** to worry about. I had to figure out how to help her. Maybe there was some way to break the curse—if there was, I’d find it. I couldn’t keep watching her fade away, piece by piece, each day. 

Then, there was **Jessa**. *What was that look we shared?* What was this connection that kept pulling at me, like I was tethered to her by something invisible and ancient? I didn’t even know her. She didn’t know me. So why did it feel like we’d been connected for far longer than a mere moment? Why did her gaze make me feel... understood? I shook my head. It didn’t make sense. None of this did.

My thoughts kept spiraling, back and forth, until the weight of it all felt unbearable. Why couldn’t things just go back to how they used to be? Why couldn’t the world leave me alone for once?

I rubbed my temples, the pounding in my head growing louder. For a moment, I thought about just walking away from it all. Leaving Hogwarts behind. Letting go of this constant burden I carried. But I knew I couldn’t do that. Not with **Anne**. Not when there was still hope.

But what about Jessa?

The door to the common room creaked open, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts. I looked up, half-expecting to see someone. Maybe Jace coming back, or maybe—

But it wasn’t Jace. It was someone else.

**Imelda**, one of my housemates, breezed in with her usual swagger. She caught sight of me, paused, and smirked.

“You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders,” she remarked, her voice light but piercing. “What’s eating at you, Sallow? You don’t usually brood.”

I forced a smile, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Just thinking,” I muttered, hoping she’d take the hint and leave me to my thoughts.

She gave me a long look before shrugging and sitting down beside me. “You know, I heard about your little run-in with the Valancaire girl yesterday. The one with the blue eyes.” She leaned in, her curiosity piqued. “She seems... interesting. A bit out of place for a Ravenclaw, don’t you think?”

I stiffened at the mention of Jessa’s name, but I forced myself to stay calm. “I don’t know what you mean,” I said, keeping my tone even. “I don’t even know her.”

Imelda chuckled, tapping her fingers on the armrest. “That’s not what I heard.” She leaned back, clearly enjoying herself. “But whatever. Keep your secrets, Sallow. It’s none of my business. But, you should watch her. She’s got that look about her, you know? The kind of look that makes people wonder if she’s hiding something.”

I kept my gaze fixed on the fire, trying not to show any emotion. Imelda’s words hit a little too close to home. Was I the only one who felt the strange pull between me and Jessa? Was it that obvious? 

“Maybe,” I said, my voice distant. “But you’re wrong about her. She’s not like that.”

Imelda raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but she didn’t push further. “Suit yourself. But I’d keep an eye on her if I were you. She’s trouble waiting to happen.”

I watched as she left, the door clicking shut behind her. A deep, unsettled feeling lingered in my chest. I was trying to push everything out of my mind—trying to focus on what really mattered. 

**Anne**. Jessa. The curse. This strange connection.

But the more I tried to clear my head, the more the world seemed to pile on. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was just bad luck, but something told me that I couldn’t escape whatever was happening between me and Jessa.

And I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to.