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carewyncromwell · 2 years

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“And as you take that first step Upon a path that's all your own, You see it all so clearly -- The best way to survive is all alone.”

~“Open Up Your Eyes,” from My Little Pony: The Movie

x~x~x~x

It was a surprise to both the student body and the Wizarding World at large when the famous Cursebreaker Patricia Rakepick took the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the fall of 1988. There had been rumors for a long time that the job was cursed, with each teacher only lasting in the position for a year or less, so for such a well-regarded witch to leave her comfy job at Gringotts bank to take that unlucky teaching job in particular seemed very odd. Some theorized that she thought to break the curse on the job -- others, that she’d accepted the position to seek out the rest of Hogwarts’s mysterious Cursed Vaults.

Carewyn Cromwell herself suspected the latter of those options. From the moment she first collided with Rakepick, she found there was this dodgy feeling she couldn’t shake, looking at the Cursebreaker. Perhaps it was because like Dumbledore and Snape, Carewyn couldn’t get a good fix on what Rakepick was feeling like she could a lot of other people...but it also could’ve been how interested Rakepick herself had stated she was in the Cursed Vaults and “revealing their secrets,” when she first arrived, as well as her overall attitude in how she tried to coax Carewyn to help her with her goals. Carewyn had long since decided she’d do whatever she had to in order to save Jacob from the Cursed Vaults, and she was far too proud to accept being one of Rakepick’s "assistants” when she could more than handle things on her own, or with her friends, who she knew had far more selfless motives to help her.

The fifth years’ first class with Rakepick came at the end of the first week of term. All of the fifth years from all four houses were there, making it a very large class. Rakepick had been sitting at the desk at the back of the room when the students had first filed in -- her Niffler, Sickleworth, sat on top of it, and both he and his owner watched as the students all found their seats. Once everyone was seated, Rakepick rose from her seat and strutted around the desk to the front of the class out to address her students.

“Good morning,” she said crisply.

“I am aware that I’m your fifth instructor for this class, in just as many years...and that your previous instructors were just as questionable in their methods as in their characters. But rest assured, I intend to stand apart from my predecessors in at least one crucial way -- actually teaching you something. I am not only going to show you how to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts, but how to attack the Dark Arts head-on. You will receive the finest instruction from someone who has actually faced the worst that the Dark Arts has to offer.”

Carewyn noticed Merula at the table to the right of hers lean forward slightly, interested. Carewyn herself, however, merely crossed her arms -- Rakepick’s arrogance had always rubbed her the wrong way.

“Some say this position is cursed,” Rakepick said with a smirk. “Well, breaking curses is what I do best.”

I don’t recall you breaking the Sleepwalking Curse last year, Carewyn thought cynically. No, instead you left it for Bill, Charlie, Hagrid, Torvus, and me to take care of...

Rakepick flourished her cloak aside with her arm as she strode over toward the blackboard.

“Now, then,” she said in a more business-like tone, “let us begin.”

She raised a hand and abruptly slapped the blackboard.

SMACK.

It spun all the way around, rattling loudly. Seemingly in response, a loud, angry-sounding groan echoed from the front of the classroom, making all of the students jump.

“What was that?” Carewyn heard Diego Caplan’s voice at a desk behind her.

“Is there a ghost hidden from view?” Carewyn heard Andre ask.

“Unbeknownst to you,” Rakepick pronounced calmly as her eyes wandered over the class, “an ugly beast has been hiding among us from the moment we first entered this classroom.”

Carewyn shot a scathing look at Merula. Rakepick herself responded rather drolly.

Her dark blue eyes then flitted over to Carewyn, boring into her face with a bit more focus than before.

“Miss Cromwell -- would you care to reveal the true beast in the room?” she said, gesturing to the empty floor to her right. “I believe the spell you would’ve used on the Vanished Stairs would work nicely here.”

Carewyn’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed in suspicion. Who told Rakepick about the Vanished Stairs? Dumbledore? Or someone else?

Nonetheless, she took her hornbeam wand out of her robes and pointed it at the spot Rakepick had indicated.

“Revelio!”

In an instant, the illusion was stripped away, revealing a short, hunchbacked, sickly-looking creature with wrinkled grayish skin and pupilless lime green eyes.

Ben gave a loud gasp. His dormmate Charlie, who was sitting next to him, was quick to reassure him.

“It’s okay, Ben,” he said with a smile.

“He rattles the pipes and groans a lot, but he’s harmless.”

“Mr. Weasley is correct,” said Rakepick coolly. “While ghouls may appear horrifying, they are -- in fact -- relatively harmless. A nuisance, perhaps, but hardly a real threat. This makes them an ideal introductory subject, while providing a reminder that looks can be deceiving.”

Her gaze drifted back up onto the rest of the class, surveying them with a rather detached, yet all-seeing eye akin to a Wampus Cat.

“Ghouls are dim-witted creatures, most commonly found in the attics or barns of old houses and farms. They’re commonly seen as household pests, akin to gnomes and doxies, but their size and overall adaptability makes it so that wizards sometimes have to intervene, when a ghoul has taken up residence in a house owned by Muggles -- yes, Miss Khanna?”

Rowan had raised her hand. Upon being called on, she brightly added, “That’s why the Ministry of Magic founded the Ghoul Task Force, right, Professor?”

“Correct, Miss Khanna,” Rakepick said rather dryly. “The Ministry loves to bureaucratize, in response to just about any minor problem.”

She put aside her condescension as she pressed on.

“Despite their aforementioned lack of intelligence, ghouls are rarely hostile, and can actually become domesticated to a degree. You won’t be able to teach one of these creatures how to sit or fetch, but they can become a conversation piece in one’s home, at the very least.”

“Like fish in a fish tank?” asked Tonks.

“Precisely, Miss Tonks,” said Rakepick. “There are different breeds of ghouls, as outlined by Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They all resemble this one, for the most part, but there is a special kind that can magically camouflage, disguising itself as an everyday object. I do believe you might be able to tell me what that kind of ghoul is called, Miss Tuttle?”

Liz gave a start. She hadn’t been expecting to be called on (she hardly ever raised her hand, outside of Care of Magical Creatures), and it made her incredibly uncomfortable.

“Ah -- well, uh...”

She glanced around awkwardly. Fortunately she managed to catch Carewyn’s eye -- her red-haired dormmate offered her a reassuring smile and nod.

“...That’d be ah...a Chameleon Ghoul,” Liz said meekly.

Ralepick inclined her head to Liz. “Indeed. Five points to Slytherin.”

Liz blushed, looking both very flustered and delighted, as Rakepick continued in her lecture.

“We won’t be covering Chameleon Ghouls specifically today, as they’re considered to be on the NEWT level...but should you ever have to face one, you can use the same technique Miss Cromwell demonstrated earlier, should you wish to make it visible.”

“I don’t know if I’d want to make it visible,” Carewyn heard Ben mumble to Charlie.

Rakepick shot a quick, sharp look at Ben, who immediately stiffened up. The professor then turned her gaze over to Carewyn sitting at the table one over from him.

“Now that we’ve discussed what this creature is, we should turn to how best to deal with it.”

Carewyn frowned deeply. ‘Rid ourselves of it?’ You just said it was harmless!

Her eyes drifted down to her desk absently as she considered this.

“...The Ghoul Task Force would probably be able to help,” Carewyn said quietly. “They’re supposed to relocate ghouls, if they’re somewhere they’re not supposed to be...”

Despite the politeness of the answer, Rakepick scoffed.

“I avoid interacting with the Ministry of Magic and its multitude of extraneous departments as much as possible,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Besides...I’m here to teach you how to defend yourselves, not to have others do it for you.”

She then returned her gaze to Carewyn a bit more sharply.

“So? What spell would you use, to remove this ghoul from my classroom?”

Carewyn stared Rakepick down, her eyes narrowing that bit more.

I could always paralyze it, she thought to herself. A full Body-Bind or Freezing Charm would stop it from getting away. Even Shrinking it would make it easier to pick up and carry out of here...

She then glanced at the ghoul beside Rakepick, which was currently creeping around under Rakepick’s desk, drool spilling out from between its crooked teeth as he peeked around at everyone.

But ghouls are supposed to be harmless. I don’t want to terrify the poor thing, just because it’s being a bit of a nuisance...

Carewyn straightened up, sticking her chin out a bit.

“...I’d use the Sleeping Charm,” she said. “Then it’d fall asleep, and I could Levitate it somewhere safer while it was sleeping.”

Rakepick raised her eyebrows, before her lips spread into another smirk.

“Very inventive,” she said quietly. “And quite advanced too, considering the Sleeping Charm isn’t typically taught until one’s sixth year.”

Her eyes went to Ben like a shot, and the Gryffindor once again tensed up.

“I do recall hearing that you’re supposed to be quite gifted at Charms, Mr. Copper,” Rakepick said very coolly. “Would you care to demonstrate Miss Cromwell’s choice of spell for us, on this ghoul?”

Ben looked incredibly reluctant. He glanced from Carewyn to Rakepick.

“Uh -- well, I -- ”

Rakepick’s eyes narrowed upon Ben’s face. It made Ben tense up that bit more, and he glanced at Carewyn again anxiously.

It’s okay, Ben, Carewyn tried to mentally urge him. You can do it.

Ben swallowed. Clenching his jaw, he shakily got to his feet, glancing from the ghoul to Carewyn to up at Rakepick and then back to the ghoul. He took several deep breaths as he pointed his wand at the ghoul.

“...Levisomnus!” he choked out at last.

The spell collided with the ghoul’s head. The creature seemed to sway -- then, with a stupid grin winding its way onto its face, it flumped down onto the ground, snoring peacefully.

Rakepick tapped the sleeping ghoul very lightly with the toe of her boot.

“Not bad,” she said lowly. “Not bad at all.”

Her eyes once again flitted to Ben critically, making the Gryffindor flinch. He tried in vain to put on a brave face as Rakepick turned back to the rest of her class.

“Now, of course, for those of you who haven’t sought out Filius Flitwick’s good graces by reading ahead, there are easier ways, to remove such creatures. A Full-Body-Bind, for instance, or perhaps a Freezing Charm. Even the Shrinking Charm would be a good way to ‘bring this beast down to size...’”

“What about Incendio?” Ismelda asked eagerly.

Liz looked horrified. “You don’t need to do that! Ghouls are gentle creatures -- you don’t need to attack them...”

“I didn’t mean burn the thing,” Ismelda said defensively, “I just meant to scare it out of wherever it is.”

“Contrary to what you might think, Ismelda, scaring people is never okay,” reproached Carewyn. “And neither is scaring innocent creatures.”

“I thought this was Defense Against the Dark Arts, not Moralizing 101,” Merula said scathingly. “Do I have to send yet another note to Snape asking to ship you off to Gryffindor, Cromwell?”

“We’d happily take her, Merula,” Charlie shot back with a mischievous grin. “Reckon it’s only ‘cause of Carey that you lot have won the House Cup the last four years...”

Rap-rap-rap-rap.

Rakepick had brought everyone in the class to complete silence simply by tapping her wand on her desk.

“As very entertaining as this discussion is,” she said dryly, “you can indulge in it after class time. For now, I would like you each to come up and take a turn with restraining this ghoul. You may use whatever method you would like, so long as it is effective and does not cause permanent damage. Miss Murk, as creative as I find your idea, I would politely discourage it for the interim -- there are quite a few flammable things in here that I would be greatly displeased to lose.”

And so one by one, all of the students -- aside from Ben, who’d already had his turn -- came up to overcome the ghoul. Some, like Tonks, used techniques Rakepick had suggested -- Merula in particular earned praise from Rakepick for her demonstration of the Full Body-Bind. Others got creative. Diego used Incarcerous to bind the ghoul with ropes he’d materialized from his wand. Liz materialized butterflies out of her wand and let the ghoul wander across the room in its attempt to catch and eat them. Barnaby actually disregarded his wand altogether and physically picked up the ghoul, hugging it so securely against his chest that the ghoul could only squirm like a toddler throwing a tantrum until the muscular Slytherin boy put it down again.

By the end of class, Rakepick looked quite pleased.

“Well done, class. It seems that despite your substandard instruction to this point, you’ve managed to learn quite a bit about how to defend yourselves. Now all that’s left to do is to give you more knowledge about the Dark Arts themselves, so that you can continue on that road toward self-sufficiency.”

Her eyes lingered on Merula in particular, whose face was spread into a big, eager grin. Then she turned her focus back to the rest of the class.

As the students all rose to leave, however, Rakepick added over her shoulder,

“Miss Cromwell, I’d like a word after class.”

Carewyn glanced at Charlie and Ben -- the second eldest Weasley looked surprised and a bit curious, while his dormmate looked incredibly uncertain.

Offering Ben a reassuring smile, Carewyn then fixed a much more stoic expression on her face as she faced Rakepick again. As the rest of the class filed out, the fifth year Slytherin walked over to Rakepick’s desk, behind which the professor had sat down.

Sickleworth gave a delighted little gurgle at the sight of Carewyn. He gave a running jump, and Carewyn had to open her hands quickly in order to catch the plump little Niffler.

“Aww,” Carewyn couldn’t help but smile indulgently as she rocked him, “hey, little guy -- it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Sickleworth cooed happily as he nuzzled the inside of Carewyn’s arm.

“It appears that Sickleworth’s missed you,” Rakepick said lightly. “A very unusual thing, as you might expect -- Sickleworth doesn’t become attached to just anyone.”

Carewyn’s smile left her face as she looked up at Rakepick, scratching Sickleworth’s neck absently.

“...You wanted to speak to me?” she asked lowly.

“Indeed,” said Rakepick. Her lips had curled up again in that arrogant smirk again. “I wanted to congratulate you, for earning the position of Slytherin Prefect. I daresay it will make your search for the Cursed Vaults easier, to now have the power to patrol the castle corridors after hours.”

Carewyn’s lips knit together tightly. Although it was true that yes, she may have thought this at the beginning, that being allowed to walk around the school at night would give her more time to find the next Vault, she sure as Hell wasn’t going to let Rakepick know that.

“I didn’t become a Prefect for my own sake,” she said sharply. “Professor Snape entrusted the position to me, and I intend to respect that trust.”

Rakepick’s expression only seemed more amused. “It is impressive that you were able to earn Severus Snape’s confidence. Especially considering just how many rules you’ve broken, while pursuing the Cursed Vaults.”

I didn’t want to break any rules. I wouldn’t have broken any of them at all, if it weren’t for Jacob -- if it weren’t for you and Dumbledore and everyone else somehow not being able to break the Vaults’ curses before I did --

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed that bit more, but she didn’t answer. Instead she turned her focus down to Sickleworth as she continued to pet him.

Rakepick’s gaze seemed to soften ever-so-slightly as soon as Carewyn was no longer looking at her. She watched Carewyn scratch under Sickleworth’s chin, her expression losing its smirk and becoming much more solemn.

“You seem to have forgiven Mr. Copper very quickly, after what happened last year,” said the professor.

Carewyn didn’t look up.

“What happened wasn’t Ben’s fault,” she said softly.

“So you believe his testimony?” Rakepick pressed her. “That he was controlled against his will?”

“Of course I do,” Carewyn said without skipping a beat. “Ben was just as scared as anyone, after what happened. He didn’t know who was controlling him.”

“Do not forget the lesson you just finished, Miss Cromwell,” Rakepick said grimly. “Appearances can often be deceiving. And as noble as trusting in your friends can seem...in the end, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself. Don’t let your affection for your friends blind you to that.”

Carewyn looked up at Rakepick, her narrowed blue eyes flashing.

“This isn’t about trust,” she shot back coldly. “This is about me knowing Ben’s character well enough that I know he wouldn’t do something like this out of his own choice. He’s not the sort of person who would seek out the Cursed Vaults on his own volition, nor is he the sort of person who would ever attack his friends.”

Ben’s always been an honest person. You can see it, just by looking in his eyes. He doesn’t hide who he is or how he feels -- not like you.

Rakepick’s lips came together tightly as Carewyn turned her focus back down to Sickleworth, rubbing his tummy in an attempt to distract him from his restless fidgeting.

“Ben Copper is fortunate to have earned your faith,” she said darkly. “One can only hope that he won’t foolishly dash it.”

She clicked her teeth twice. At once, Sickleworth straightened up in Carewyn’s arms, before jumping right out of them so he could scamper up Rakepick’s arm and curl up on her shoulder.

“The next Vault’s curse hasn’t activated yet,” Rakepick said brusquely, “but given the pattern set by the last four years, I don’t think it’s unlikely that it will, soon enough. When that happens, I would like your help to find the Vault and break its curse before anyone gets hurt.”

Carewyn raised her eyebrows.

“I thought you said the only person you can truly rely on is yourself,” she said very coolly.

“Indeed I did,” said Rakepick just as coolly. “But you and I will both need help, if we’re to find that Vault. You do want to find your brother, don’t you?”

“Of course,” said Carewyn. “I just don’t trust you to help me.”

Rakepick cocked her eyebrows.

“That’s disappointing to hear,” she said, “considering I saved your life not too long ago.”

There was a slight, passive-aggressive charge to the words -- like a chiding tap to the nose.

Carewyn’s red lips curled up in a completely humorless smile as she turned on her heel.

“Sorry, Professor -- but I’m afraid I’m not much for trusting anyone. Don’t take it personally.”

She glanced over her shoulder, gaging whether Rakepick was going to tell her not to leave. When she didn’t, she turned and walked off, right out of the classroom.

Rakepick watched Carewyn go, her lips twitching with the traces of a small, dark smile despite herself.

I’m afraid I’m not much for trusting anyone.

In the end, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself.

She and Carewyn Cromwell truly were very much alike.