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skampi835 · 1 year

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Serpent’s Lullaby - 04 - the many free periods of the sixth graders

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

Genre: Romantic Drama

Style within this chapter: mention of eating disorder (recovery)

Warnings: spoiler

Word Count within this chapter: 5.652

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Link to Ao3

Link to fanfiktion.de (original german version)

When Carol opened her eyes early in the morning, the first thing she noticed were the bright yellow curtains that hugged and framed her four-poster bed. Through one of the windows above the circular dormitory, the first rays of sun of the early autumn day stretched in, tempting with warm late-summer weather.

Carol could hear quiet, deep breaths and a soft snoring from the other beds, which she attributed to Lenora lying next to her. For a while, Carol lay sluggishly in her bed, listening to the sleeping sounds of her classmates and watching as the morning light of the sun lazily and slowly moved further from the ceiling towards the floor.

A completely normal life as a witch. She would lead the life of a completely normal witch.

Quietly, Carol peeled back the covers and placed her bare feet on the cold stone floor to get up. A glance at the clock on her nightstand revealed that she had over half an hour before breakfast would be served in the Great Hall. No wonder her Hufflepuff friends, with whom she shared the dormitory, were still sleeping soundly.

The muscle soreness Carol felt in her shoulders and arms, as she had pulled her travel trunk across London to King's Cross, was not as intense as expected. However, she felt sick because of the feast she had indulged in yesterday evening, partly out of frustration.

Carol grabbed her soap, towel, comb, fresh clothes, and the small flask that Sacharissa Tugwood had slipped her the night before and made her way to the bathroom.

The seventh-year had given her the flask with good intentions but also with the excessively charming words: »Darling, your skin looks so sunken, and those dark circles! You have to be careful not to become one of the scarecrows of the school soon!«

After washing and dressing in complete solitude, Carol turned her attention to the mirror on the side of the brightly tiled bathroom. How Natty had managed to find even a kind word about her tan last night was a true mystery to Carol, and she wondered, moreover, if she had even owned a mirror in the last six weeks.

It felt wrong, as if Carol was looking at a stranger in the mirror, who stared back at her with deep-set dark blue eyes. The shoulder-length, light blonde and curly hair framed the thinning face and looked dull and lifeless.

The neck appeared very sinewy, and the collarbone was prominent under the blouse that was not yet fully buttoned.

It was no wonder that everyone commented on her rapid weight loss. Most people, however, were much friendlier than Garreth and more discreet than Poppy. It would be a lie to say that Carol hadn't noticed it herself. Of course, she had noticed it in her clothes, especially in her school uniform that hung loosely on her body. But Carol didn't perceive it as being so extreme.

The intense, scrutinizing gaze that Carol gave herself in the mirror only made it all too clear that it hadn't been healthy to skip so many meals. As distracting as the summer holidays had been for her, to clear her head from the strains of the past year, they had only left further marks on Carol. She urgently needed to do something and work on her habits.

Taking Sacharissa's words to heart, Carol uncorked the flask to give the substance a chance. Almost cautiously, she sniffed at the small opening, expecting to smell the biting stench of Burbotubler pus. Instead, a subtle, floral, and surprisingly pleasant scent wafted into her nose. Carol carefully dripped a few drops of the tincture into her palm and spread it generously on her face.

She massaged the slightly viscous liquid evenly into her skin and in less than a minute, it was completely absorbed. Of course, Carol didn't expect a miracle from a tincture she had just smeared on her face, but she looked at herself in the mirror for a few minutes longer than necessary before closing the remaining buttons of her blouse. Then she tied the yellow and black tie in the Hufflepuff house colors and slipped into the loose, light gray sweater.

With her packed school bag, Carol finally made her way to the Great Hall. By the time she arrived, breakfast would surely have been served already.

During the summer, Carol had apparently not only become a scarecrow - if Sacharissa was to be believed - but also an early riser. The heavy, routine work on the Roswells' farm typically started with the first crow of the rooster in the morning and ended with the same in the evening. Afterwards, she had also worked at a seedy pub, serving beer and spirits. No wonder she had simply collapsed into bed instead of eating.

For Carol, it was fine to go to the Great Hall alone for breakfast. On the one hand, she didn't want to disturb Poppy and the others' sleep, since she herself had no objection to an hour's more sleep. On the other hand, Carol wanted to clear her head or at least sort out these new worries a bit. She could also fill her plate and eat it at her leisure until breakfast was completely over.

Feeling sad that she had taken something so normal as a resolution, she descended the stone stairs and turned into the hallway leading to the entrance hall.

In fact, when Carol arrived at the Great Hall, she could already see some students scattered across the house tables. Although it was quite early, Carol immediately noticed Ominis Gaunt, who was sitting at his long Slytherin table with a generous distance between him and two other Slytherins, sipping a cup of tea.

Carol's gloomy thoughts cleared up at once to match the morning's bright blue sky on the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. She strode along the house tables towards him, feeling uplifted.

Even before she reached Ominis, he turned his head slightly in her direction without really looking at her. His milky steel-blue eyes were focused on the table as he listened to something. »Good morning, Ominis,« Carol greeted him as she sat down at her own house table directly behind him.

Upon hearing her voice, his mouth twitched slightly. »I figured it was you. Good morning, Carol,« Ominis replied politely, turning on the bench as far towards the Hufflepuff table as he could. However, his blind, steel-blue gaze completely passed by Carol.

It didn't matter to her whether he tilted his head directly towards her or not. Ominis was very polite and attentive, which was why he followed sounds and turned towards them. It was essentially a cruel thank you, but Carol was currently glad that Ominis couldn't see her. He would certainly notice her change. »You figured it was me?« she asked curiously. »How so?«

»Your footsteps,« Ominis explained almost casually. Carol pondered his brief explanation and wondered how he could pick out her footsteps among all the different students. Was she walking strangely?

Before Carol could further analyze and unravel the question in her head, Ominis spoke again: »It's nice to see you here so early. Sebastian already told me yesterday that he saw you at the celebration.«

Carol, who was now sitting on the bench with her torso twisted towards Ominis so she could face him, licked her dry lips. »Where is Sebastian?«

»He's probably still in bed and will come just before breakfast ends,« Ominis replied calmly. »He needs to get used to school life again. Besides, he returned to the dormitory quite late last night, from what I heard.«

»And you left earlier,« Carol noted. Yesterday during the feast, which still weighed heavily on her stomach, Ominis had disappeared from the Slytherin table at some point. So Carol had willingly let herself be drawn away from the stream of Hufflepuffs to the common room. She had been too tired to engage in extensive conversations anyway.

Ominis's face twisted slightly with effort. »I apologize for not staying longer yesterday so we could talk. The noise and disorder at the opening ceremony gave me headaches like I rarely have.«

»You don't have to apologize or justify yourself, Ominis. I fully understand,« Carol said, smiling gently as she got up from the bench and moved to the one right next to Ominis. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and followed the rustling of her clothes, unsure if it was really Carol sitting beside him or someone else. She continued, »Now we can talk without having to shout at each other.«

It wasn't explicitly forbidden to sit at another house table, provided you didn't disturb anyone or it wasn't an official celebration. Ominis smiled softly, but expressed some concern, »We're getting our timetables today. If you're not at your house table, Professor Garlick may not find you.«

»What a stroke of luck that I'm not far from the Hufflepuff table,« Carol chuckled, amused by the thought of the head of house simply passing her by just because she was sitting at the wrong table. She leaned over the empty utensils in front of her and reached for the bowl, filling it with oatmeal and pouring milk generously over it. Although she still felt queasy from last night's feast, she opted for a light meal to counteract her faulty habits.

»Plus, we don't have to twist ourselves so much to talk,« Carol added as she dipped her spoon into the bowl.

»Indeed, it's more comfortable that way,« Ominis agreed, spreading strawberry jam on his toast with his wand in hand before lowering it back onto his lap under the table. »How are you, Carol? How was your summer?« he attempted to start a casual conversation.

»Fine,« Carol replied with the rehearsed response, immediately following up with the appropriate question: »And yours?«

»Good, too,« Ominis replied just as curtly as Carol. His previously successful tactic of diverting his conversation partner from a brief answer to instead motivate them to provide an elaborate response seemed not to be working for him. With a stoic expression, Ominis extended his open hand to Carol.

Carol furrowed her brow in confusion. Ominis had put down his wand to extend his hand to her. With a amused snort, Carol placed her hand in Ominis's without being asked. »Are you going to kiss my hand?« she teased, giggling softly.

»Not really,« his half-smile was gentler than expected as he turned Carol's hand in his and gently touched the palm and individual fingers with his thumb. »Sebastian took me back to Feldcroft for the summer. It's a shame you didn't come by.«

Carol was so distracted by his gentle touches that she barely noticed the spoon slipping through her fingers. But before it could clatter into her bowl of oatmeal, she managed to grab it firmly.

It wouldn't have been hard for Carol to pull her hand out of his, as Ominis held it very gently. But for some inexplicable reason, Carol didn't feel strong enough to do it at the moment. She studied his face carefully; the blind steel-blue eyes and the gentle smile on his lips almost masked the thoughtful expression on his face. Carol had to swallow quietly before she gave an answer: »I-I...« She cleared her throat and interrupted herself quickly, embarrassed by her stutter. »I had a lot to do.«

»Mhm...« Ominis responded softly and calmly. »You also sound exhausted, Carol. And judging by your rough hands, you've been doing heavy work until recently.«

At these ruthless words, Carol regained her strength and carefully withdrew her hand from Ominis' touch. She was a little shocked by how he could figure that out without seeing her. Ominis didn't hold Carol back, but he still remained facing her, listening for an answer. Carol moistened her dry lips and explained softly, »I'll tell you later, okay? More and more students are coming into the Great Hall.«

»Okay,« Ominis nodded his head and turned back to his toast, while Carol wanted to bury herself in her oatmeal. Suddenly she felt very warm. Embarrassed, she wondered how she could forget how perceptive and attentive Ominis actually was. Sometimes he noticed more in his surroundings than any sighted person.

»Maybe,« Ominis began again and leaned discreetly towards Carol to continue quietly, »we can meet with Sebastian in the crypt after class today and catch up?«

Carol didn't answer immediately, and it wasn't just because she had just stuffed a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. After swallowing the bite, she replied, »Yes, that would be nice.«

»I'm glad,« Ominis sounded relieved to have found a compromise and sipped his black tea in the finest table manner.

»Here you are! We were wondering where you were, Carol!« trilled Poppy from the entrance hall as she came with Arthur and Lenora in tow, until she recognized Ominis and stopped in her tracks. Carol looked a little worriedly at her friend as Ominis politely turned his head slightly in Poppy's direction. »Good morning, Poppy.«

»Morning,« she replied sullenly. Then Poppy strode over to Carol and almost pulled her from the Slytherin table by the shoulders. »Come over to our side. We're getting our timetables today.«

»Alright, I'll move over,« Carol said embarrassedly, watching as Poppy sat down at the correct house table. Ominis vaguely tilted his head in Carol's direction as she began to take her used dishes. »Is she still mad at me about that Diricawl, Frederick?« he asked incredulously.

»Hmm...« Carol drawled, which Ominis already interpreted as an answer, and he let out an exasperated sigh. He rubbed his nose. »It was an accident... I'll never try to pet a Diricawl again...« he muttered very softly.

Carol couldn't help but smile at the sweet thought of Ominis losing his wand just because he wanted to pet a magical creature. No one would have expected that from a Gaunt. »I know that, you know that, and I'm sure Poppy knows it too. She's just sad because the Dodo didn't come back,« Carol explained soothingly, giving Ominis a brief pat on the shoulder. »Don't worry about it. I'll be sitting right behind you.«

»Nice to hear that you've got my back,« replied the Slytherin with seemingly stoic composure.

»About time that the skinny bimbo disappeared from our table. Tsk... Who does Roswell think she is anyway?« whispered Violet McDowell into Carol's ears, as she walked along the Slytherin table with Imelda Reyes.

Carol tried to ignore the biting comment and not take it to heart as she sat down with her Hufflepuff classmates at the table. However, what she couldn't ignore was the ensuing crash as Violet fell to the stone floor along with several plates and cutlery.

Imelda looked puzzled as she saw Violet lying on the ground. »Did you seriously just fall?«

»No, the marble floor just looked so soft and cozy that I had to touch it!« she almost hysterically screamed. »Help me instead of making your comments, Imelda!«

»Good riddance to the airhead.« Lenora laughed maliciously as Imelda and another Slytherin helped Violet back to her feet. »Merlin punishes small sins immediately.«

»Pay no attention to her.« Poppy said encouragingly, turning to Carol. »Today we'll get our new schedules. We only have the subjects we passed our O.W.L.s in.«

»Yes,« agreed Arthur, pushing his glasses back up his nose after already loading his plate with scrambled eggs and bacon. »In sixth year, we have many free periods to focus on the subjects we're good at. As preparation for the N.E.W.T. exams next year.«

»N.E.W.T.?« Carol asked, looking across the table at Arthur.

»That's the next higher qualification after the O.W.L.s. The Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, so to speak. Many professions require an N.E.W.T. as a qualification to be trained in it.« Arthur explained patiently.

»I'm going to be a healer,« Lenora announced solemnly, sticking her nose up in the air. »I'm glad I don't have to take all those boring subjects like History of Magic anymore. So much wasted time!«

Carol smiled understandingly and was about to turn back to her oatmeal, but her bowl was already empty. Just as she wondered when that had happened, Charlotte rushed over to them with her hair tousled. »By Merlin's beard! Why didn't you wake me up?« she exclaimed, grabbing a plate and throwing red toast, tomatoes, and sausages on it at random.

»You were sleeping so sweetly and kept mumbling the name of our Hufflepuff prefect in your dreams, so we didn't want to wake you up,« Lenora grinned broadly across the table, earning a venomous look from Charlotte, whose cheeks were currently stuffed with toast. »Half fem muff!«

»I'm sorry, what?« Lenora grinned maliciously and held her hand to her ear. Charlotte promptly threw a dry slice of toast in her direction.

Carol loved this lighthearted atmosphere among her classmates. The Great Hall was filling up with more and more students, but the noise level was nowhere near as loud as it was during yesterday's welcoming ceremony.

Suddenly, someone tapped Carol on the shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. She immediately turned her head over her shoulder. »Sorry,« the trademark Sallow grin was thrown at her by the brown-haired Slytherin. »Just wanted to say hello.«

»Ah, yes. Hello,« Carol replied with a half-smile as Sebastian turned away from her and sat down next to Ominis on the bench, where he also helped himself to breakfast.

Carol turned back around and looked at her empty bowl. Her stomach suddenly felt strangely full. Angrily, she wondered why she was so easily startled.

The schedule distribution proved to be more complex this year than in previous ones. After the majority of students, namely the lower years, had left the Great Hall with their new schedules to head to their classrooms, the Heads of House personally distributed the remaining schedules. They had conversations with the students about their O.W.L. results from the previous year and the structure for the coming school years.

Professor Garlick wore her usual expansive, green sun hat with decorative flowers arranged on its brim. Her fiery red hair was braided into a long, messy ponytail that fell over her shoulder. With a warm, dreamy smile, she sat down with a stack of parchment and a bunch of flowers in front of Carol.

Carol barely knew a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who carried as much sunshine and kindness in their heart as Professor Garlick. The young Herbology teacher plucked a small sunflower from the bouquet of cut flowers and presented it to Carol. »It's great to see you again, Miss Roswell. I give you this sunflower as a symbol of your growth and flourishing this year.«

»Oh, thank you so much, Professor Garlick,« Carol said, accepting the sunflower with a touched smile. She watched as the young teacher took a few clipped papers from her stack and studied them with a frugal expression. Carol didn't blame Professor Garlick for consulting her notes; the Heads of House had so many students to look after. Moreover, she was touched by the attention the Herbology teacher was giving her.

»You underwent a wonderful maturing process last year, Miss Roswell. Your O.W.L. results in Charms, Ancient Runes, Herbology, and History of Magic were sufficient for you to thrive in these subjects this year as well. Also, Professor Hecat was very pleased with your Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts, which you can continue to take, of course.«

Hearing the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's praise elicited a shy smile from Carol. It was the only subject in which she received an Outstanding. Considering where Carol had been wandering last year, it wasn't surprising.

»Unfortunately, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue Divination, Astronomy, or Care of Magical Creatures,« Professor Garlick continued with an almost sad smile on her friendly features.

Carol nodded. »I expected as much, Professor.« Her O.W.L. results in those subjects weren't sufficient for passing. However, that also applied to several other subjects that hadn't been mentioned yet. Her schedule sounded a bit weak.

The sensitive smile of the red-haired witch kept Carol listening attentively. »Regarding your O.W.L. in Transfiguration, I have spoken with Professor Weasley. Normally, a Pass is insufficient to continue your course. However, due to the special circumstances of last year, she has agreed to continue nurturing your intellectual blossoms in the Transfiguration garden.«

Carol raised her eyebrows in surprise. »Really?« she exclaimed, and Professor Garlick nodded with a sunny smile.

It wasn't the class with Professor Weasley or the subject that made Carol feel a bit uncertain. It was rather the special treatment she was receiving, although she was grateful for this opportunity.

However, the Hufflepuff Head of House seemed to have more to say. »The same goes for Professor Sharp. However, you will have to excel in the craft of potion-making in the first half of the year to continue in his course, Miss Roswell. He said that he wants to give you another chance for a career as an Auror.«

Carol swallowed softly at her words. She remembered the conversation from last year about possible career choices. »I don't actually want to become an Auror, Professor Garlick,« she said meekly.

The young professor looked at Carol with raised eyebrows, then consulted her notes as if she had made a mistake. »But didn't you mention this during the career counseling last year?«

The dismay on the otherwise cheerful face of the young professor awakened slight feelings of guilt in Carol. She bit her lip and nodded slowly. »Yes, that's true, Professor Garlick. Only last year... a lot happened. Professor Fig was still present during that conversation.«

With each additional word, Carol's mouth felt strangely dry, until she finally fell silent.

Professor Garlick gave Carol a sympathetic, compassionate look. »I remember, Miss Roswell,« she said softly and very quietly. »I miss Professor Fig too. He was a wonderful teacher with charming ambitions and ideas.«

She couldn't know how Carol's heart contracted at the words. Carol lowered her head.

»I wondered why you don't want to continue with History of Magic and Ancient Runes,« Professor Garlick explained gently. »That's why I thought you still wanted to pursue the goal of becoming an Auror. Why do you want to neglect these school subjects in which you have blossomed so beautifully?«

Ancient Runes was the subject that Carol's late mentor taught her in the extra hours. Besides, the subject had been very useful in following the traces of ancient magic. But with the lack of interest in ancient magic, Carol's desire to continue with the subject ended.

»I don't find the subjects very useful,« she lied.

ChatGPT

»But Miss Roswell,« chided Professor Garlick, almost startled. »Everything that grows has its purpose. Professor Binns praised you highly, saying he hadn't had such an attentive student in his class for a long time.«

Which meant that Carol didn't regularly fall asleep in his class.

»If you could exceed expectations in History of Magic, you could also take Ancient Studies as an elective. This would give you the perfect qualifications for becoming a curse breaker.«

Ancient Studies was an advanced course open to students who had excelled in History of Magic and Ancient Runes. It could be taken from sixth year, provided the student had achieved an O.W.L. in the subject, as well as excellent grades.

Carol had the O.W.L. Ancient Runes hadn't been the problem, as she had a knack for the sometimes very cryptic and complex runes. In History of Magic, however, she had struggled a lot, partly because she had to catch up on four years of missed classes in just one year. If it hadn't been for Ominis' patience and helpfulness, she wouldn't even have passed Acceptable.

With an O.W.L. in Ancient Studies, one could begin training to become a curse breaker. A profession that was in high demand and almost always needed at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

But what Carol could imagine even less than a career as an Auror was spending her daily life in the dark and winding vaults of Gringotts. She licked her dry lips. »But I don't want to work at Gringotts.«

Professor Garlick's features softened. She smiled encouragingly and warmly at Carol. »Curse breakers have a wide range of job opportunities, Miss Roswell. The winds may have blown your future dreams wild over the summer.« The Herbology professor spoke very empathetically. »Do you know what you want to do later?«

When Carol remained silent, the young professor spoke lovingly. »I think a new season is beginning for you, Miss Roswell. Your special talent is like a precious gift that you should use with joy and dedication. Professor Fig would certainly also be pleased if you unleash the full potential of your gift and shape your professional future with confidence and determination.« She paused for a moment. »Let's talk about it again together.«

Carol looked into Professor Garlick's friendly features. Her heart grew heavy as she tried to imagine what Professor Fig would think of her not wanting to continue with Ancient Magic.

»Don't put yourself under pressure, Miss Roswell. I'll arrange a timely appointment for our conversation. Until then, I'd like you to take advantage of the many opportunities and continue attending classes in Ancient Runes and History of Magic. Professor Binns would really appreciate it, although he'd never admit it.«

Carol looked at Professor Garlick for a long and wistful moment. She couldn't help but appear a little disappointed. But in front of the sunny and friendly teacher who showed so much understanding and care, Carol couldn't help but nod. »Okay, Professor. When... I've sorted myself out a bit and we've had our conversation, can we talk about it again?«

»Of course, Miss Roswell.« Professor Garlick looked at Carol confidently. Then she tapped an empty parchment in front of her with her wand and handed Carol her schedule. »Until then, I ask you to enjoy your time and, as always, do your best.«

»Yes, Professor,« Carol forced a small smile. Professor Garlick winked at her and stood up to move to the next available seat beside Poppy. After settling down beside Poppy, the young house teacher handed her a flower and discussed her personal growth process. Meanwhile, Carol studied her timetable very carefully.

For a moment, Carol wondered if there might be a mistake in her schedule until she remembered the breakfast conversations regarding the many free periods for sixth-year students. Her timetable had several gaps, some of them double periods.

The handover of the timetable seemed to go a bit faster for Poppy than for Carol, as the red-haired house teacher was already moving on to Lenora. Meanwhile, Poppy turned to Carol with her timetable. »Hey, do you have Divination now?« she inquired, which Carol shook her head in denial. »No, I don't have the subject anymore.«

»Hmm...« Poppy hummed softly as she compared her timetable with Carol's. »Oh, what a pity. We don't have any common classes in the morning,« she sighed disappointedly.

»Well, we'll see each other at lunch then,« Carol said with an encouraging smile. »And look, we have Transfiguration and Charms together afterwards.«

»Yes, you're right,« Poppy said with a brightened expression, looking up at Carol again. »See you later. I have to go. The Divination Tower is quite a distance away.«

»Sure, see you later, Poppy,« Carol waved with a smirk as Poppy hurried out of the Great Hall with her bag under her arm, weaving through the rows of house tables.

A little unsure of what to do with her free time, Carol watched her friend leave when she suddenly heard a whisper behind her, »Psst, Carol!«

Carol turned around on the bench and looked over her shoulder to Sebastian, who was looking at her with a mischievous glint in his brown eyes. If anyone at school didn't need Sacharissa's potion, it was definitely Sebastian. Fresh as a daisy with tousled hair, he grinned at Carol. »What does your timetable look like?« he asked curiously.

She furrowed her brow, swinging her legs to the other side of the bench to face Sebastian completely. »What do you mean? Professor Garlick has neat handwriting.«

Sebastian blinked in surprise and then chuckled softly with mischief in his eyes. »No, that's not what I mean,« he chuckled. »I have a free period now. Do you happen to have one too?«

While Carol didn't need to check her timetable again, her eyes wandered back to the paper in her hand. »Yes,« she eventually replied, looking back at Sebastian, expecting that he had a particular intention with his question, knowing the Slytherin as well as she did, even though they hadn't had close contact since last Christmas.

»Awesome!« Sebastian exclaimed enthusiastically. »Do you want to meet at our spot? I think Ominis has a free period too.«

»Mr. Gaunt even has two,« the two whispering students told Professor Ronen in surprise. The Slytherin house teacher looked back and forth between Sebastian and Carol with raised eyebrows and an unusually stern expression, while Ominis put his schedule into his bag with lowered eyes. »And since the two of you were apparently waiting for Mr. Gaunt, I will now ask you to take out your schedules and discuss them 'at your place'. The other house teachers and I appreciate some peace and quiet during our work,« he said.

Shyly, Carol whispered, »Excuse us, Professor Ronen,« which the lively teacher of magical arts acknowledged with a grateful nod.

»Of course, Professor Ronen,« Sebastian said with a charismatic smile. However, this charm bounced off the older house teacher, who instead waved the three of them out of the Great Hall.

With her school bag under her arm, Carol made her way to the Astronomy wing with the Slytherins. Ominis held his wand in front of him, with a red, circular spark dancing above it. His wand helped Ominis move through the castle without running into obstacles or stumbling down one of the countless stairs.

Carol had since become accustomed to it - unlike before. When she first saw Ominis wandering the halls with his wand, she had just come out of a meeting that had nothing to do with class, from Professor Fig's office. Carol thought at the time that the Slytherin had been eavesdropping on her since he had looked pretty guilty to the ground, and therefore had avoided him as much as possible. Back then, Carol had no idea that Ominis was actually blind.

Sebastian and Carol looked around cautiously on the second floor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, checking if any curious classmates were watching them. However, they were completely alone in the multi-story salon, which prompted Sebastian, Ominis, and Carol to hurry and slip into the narrow hallway behind the stone staircase. Above them, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class was probably in session.

They reached an elaborately carved and wide cabinet made of beech wood, which stood alone at the end of the narrow corridor under the stairs. Several beautifully crafted clock faces were painted on the doors. The partially gilded flourishes and hands, however, did not reveal the time or any other calendar entry on the surface.

The clock's Roman numerals had 15 hours. The gold-adorned runic plaques were unreadable even with good grades in Ancient Runes, and three hands, modeled after the optics of full and new moons and the sun, pointed randomly. The sun's path seemed to have stopped between night and day, although it was already clearly a sunny morning, and two hands were stuck in the moon phase between new and half-moon. In short, the clocks appeared to be completely useless.

»Is anyone following us?« Ominis asked with a serious expression.

»Relax, Ominis. The lower years are in class and the seventh years have probably gone back to their common rooms. They probably think they know the whole castle inside and out and don't need to explore anymore,« Sebastian said confidently, grinning as he pulled out his wand and approached the elaborately crafted cabinet.

Ominis tilted his head in Carol's direction, as if he wasn't sure he could really relax as Sebastian said. His skepticism was understandable since he was originally the one who found this place. When Ominis found out in the last year of school that Sebastian had also informed Carol about the secret so that she could practice her spells in peace without being gawked at by onlookers, he was very angry. Even so angry that compared to it, a Howler's message sounded nice.

With the background knowledge Carol now possessed, she could all too well understand his reaction from back then. »We're really alone, Ominis,« she tried to appease him.

Ominis stared stoically at the marble floor. He still didn't seem entirely convinced, but he complied with a curt »Fine.«

»Dissendium!« Sebastian said in the meantime, pointing his wand at the cabinet. The hands on almost all the clock faces moved, as if a completely different era should be in effect in which they should find themselves. When they stopped at the same time, a quiet, deep ringing of a bell was heard.

»Well then,« Sebastian said, satisfied, opening the cabinet doors to climb inside. After a moment, he stuck his head out again and looked impatiently at Carol and Ominis. »Are you coming?«

»After you, Carol,« Ominis nodded his head towards the cabinet as he continued to stare blankly at the marble floor. Carol walked past him to climb into the cabinet behind Sebastian. Sebastian had already disappeared into the dark secret passage revealed by his spell.

Carol drew her wand from her cloak as Ominis climbed into the cabinet behind her. Just as the cabinet doors closed behind them, and darkness fell over them, Carol whispered »Lumos.« and the passageway was illuminated by white light, emanating from the tip of her wand.

#hogwarts legacy #fanfiction #Ominis x OC #Serpent's Lullaby #carol roswell #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #poppy sweeting #lenora everleigh #Arthur Plummly #mirabel garlick #abraham ronen

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moongurl95 · 9 months

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Chapter 6.3 – Like a Moth to a Frame

Back in Central Hall, Lenora Everleigh stared intensely at a frame she was sure wasn't there before in her past four years in Hogwarts, granted the castle had a knack to magically create its own puzzles for the students to entertain themselves with, but the Hufflepuff was certain that this frame (and the couple others she had spotted in different places), was proving to be a rather baffling case... “This cannot possibly be as difficult as it seems.” She groaned out in frustration.

“Accio!”

Lenora almost jumped out of her skin as a parchment of paper flew over her head, she was about to tell off the perpetrator to be more careful where they casted their spells when she watched how the page magically attached itself to a book the student was holding— the student being the new fifth-year.

Her brows furrowed as she observed how the newly sorted Ravenclaw stood out like a sore thumb in her eyes, she found it ironic how the girl found herself in a House full of overachievers when she looked like she needed a little bit of hardwork instead. Lenora may have stared far longer than she planned when the subject of her scrutiny looked up just in time to catch her gaze, which she wasn't fast enough to avoid.

“Hello. I don't believe we've met, I apologize if I disturbed you in some way, I'm Beatrice.”

“Oh, hello. I'm Lenora. Pardon me if I seem a little distracted at the moment.” She'd planned to excuse herself after that, but curiosity got the better of her when she'd deduced Beatrice sounded friendlier than her peers, “Quite the dramatic entrance you made last night. Can't imagine wanting to call attention to yourself. Especially since everyone will be watching to see how much you already know.”

“I must admit I have a lot of catching up to do, though I doubt everyone's that much interested in my case.”

Oh, how wrong she was, if Lenora had anything to say about the buzz she'd heard from their Table last night, most especially the boys. Although she'd garnered it'll only take a week at most before the “exciting mystery” that the girl presented in front of her would die down, that only made Lenora want to jab, if just a little, “You'd think. But four years of schoolwork is a bit much. Being that far behind, I'd feel so... inadequate.”

That said, Lenora still consciously eyed the new student from head to toe, stifling herself from making a disappointed sound at seeing the girl was a good couple inches taller than her, “Of course, I'm sure you'll prove yourself in no time. Presuming you possess that searing wit your House is known for.” Lenora stood up straighter then, as if trying to prove a point with what she had to say next, “I think I should have been a Ravenclaw, at least my family somehow expected me so.”

“I'm sure the Sorting Hat would have let you choose, had it given you options?”

“It didn't.” Lenora found herself deflating then, thinking back to the quick whispers as to why this new student took a bit while on the stool— she'd been given other options— though as to which House, Lenora could only hazard a guess.

“Everyone thinks I'm utterly barmy. Your friend, Samantha, thinks I'm potty.” She said glumly, looking down as she couldn't take the genuine look of concern she glanced on the other girl's face. “But really, it's just this painting, I never noticed it before.” Lenora tried shifting the topic away from her as she nodded towards the mysterious object behind her, “If I know Hogwarts, and I do, an empty frame doesn't appear for no reason. There's something more to this, I'm sure.”

“Have you gained any insights about the painting since you've been studying it?”

She blinked at that, risking a glance back at the girl who now focused on the object Lenora had mentioned, “I— did discover that casting Lumos has an effect of some kind, but I'm not sure what to do next. The surface just shows something blurry, as if damaged by water...”

“Are there any other empty paintings like this around the school?”

Was it safe for Lenora to assume that this new Ravenclaw seemed genuinely interested in something others from her House would consider trivial? “Yes, a few. This entire place is somewhat of a riddle to be honest. If I can work out the riddle of this one, I'll know what to do with all of them. We Hufflepuffs do enjoy a good riddle every now and then.” Lenora proudly said as she looked over the other girl.

“It does sound intriguing, may I have a look, if you don't mind?”

Lenora shrugged in response, though she couldn't help but be delighted, it won't hurt to have some form of help in this huge place, “I've been wracking my brains long enough. I hope you'll have better luck than I have. Do come and find me if you stumble on something illuminating that solves the mystery.”

She decided to step back and watch from the balustrades if the new Ravenclaw was just being nice when she'd asked all her previous questions. Maybe she'd be just as quick to give up once she'd found herself stumped with no clue, seeing as she walked away with no clear indication to where she was headed, after Lenora saw she had indeed taken her word to cast Lumos.

To the Hufflepuff's surprise however, she watched as the student came jogging back towards the painting not even a minute had passed, and what was that flying around her illuminated wand?? Lenora kept herself from tumbling over the balustrade as she peered at the parchment that magically appeared before the other girl after whatever was flying around her wand stuck to the painting's frame. Was it a treasure map of sorts?

Grumbling at what could have been her discovery, she hadn't noticed when the new Ravenclaw now approached her from the stairs, “Lenora, I've solved the mystery of that painting.”

“I saw that you did. But how?” Lenora looked at the smiling girl's face and mentally prepared herself to hear a long explanation that she would no less expect from a student of House Ravenclaw.

“I found the location depicted in the painting after casting Lumos as you had suggested and guided a moth back to the frame.”

A beat passed and Lenora blinked as she expected the girl to say more, but the other only smiled kindly in return, “All very logical, I suppose. Pity, I was so close to solving it.” Lenora looked down in dismay, she was sure however the location was depicted that it always appeared blurry to her, so what made it easy for this new fifth-year...

“I— may have an idea as to why the location appeared blurry for you, Lenora.”

As if reading her mind, Lenora looked up to find an open book being handed towards her, “Professor Weasley gave me this Wizard's Field Guide to help keep track of my first year in Hogwarts, in a way. That piece of parchment you saw from the painting just so happened to be one of the hundreds of pages I’d have to collect for the school year.”

True enough, Lenora thumbed at the small moth engraved at the corner of the page as she continued to hear her schoolmate out, “I apologize if it's caused you this much trouble but— would it be too forward of me to ask for your help in keeping an eye out on things? Anything that might pass as a riddle in some way?”

Oh? Lenora looked at the other girl in surprise as she handed back the hardbounded field book, “Well, you do have a knack for solving riddles.” She slowly said, clearing her throat, “Natty's good at that too. So is Amit— although he does tend to overexplain... I'd be happy to send you an owl every now and then for anything I find. Hogwarts is a big place as you'll find out, it's a good idea to get all the help you'll need.” Lenora shrugged nonchalantly.

“Thank you so much, Lenora! Truly, I owe you for this.” “I'm just glad someone figured it out. A moth of all things! I should have seen that!” She shook her head at her schoolmate's enthusiasm as they parted ways. Maybe not all Ravenclaws were insufferably patronizing, she was too harsh on the new girl. What was her name again? Ah yes, it was Beatrice.

next chapter ⤜⤏

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