Always For You. [Snape Romance] [Harry Potter]

Arc 1: Chapter 4: Seashells Have Secrets Too

Arc 1: Immaterial Bonds
Chapter 4: Seashells Have Secrets Too

"Please, sit down." I offered to the boy who knelt on the ground next to me. "What happened?"

The boy's eyes found it difficult to look at mine. If he was Terrell's best friend, then he must be pondering if what he would say would be a betrayal to his late friend. 

"Alright. Here are the details: I'm sure you're aware that Rayer was a beater on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team? And then he had to resign because of his arm injury?"

I nodded and the boy grew slightly stiff. I hope he doesn't throw up; I'm wearing my favourite clothes.

"Rayer was obsessed with his image. He joined the Quidditch team only because he thought it would make him popular. To be fair, it definitely worked. But after his third year, people were normalised to him being on the team and were more focused on the new seeker."

"So people weren't paying him attention anymore? And he hated that?" I asked as I painted a mental image in my head.

"In a way. I thought he enjoyed being popular but it wasn't until... it got out of hand. That was when I realised that Rayer was out of his mind. I tried my best to get him to change his ways but he wouldn't listen!" 

He became increasingly distressed and fast-talking as he spoke. I wanted to hug him but that wouldn't be received well.

"Take your time. It's alright." I comforted him as best I could.

"Right... right. He used to tell me about his plans to get people to notice him again. It started with meaningless stuff like spreading posters of himself, flirting with girls and pulling some pranks but it wasn't enough. He wanted the whole school to know of him again. That was when he decided to take drastic measures. His arm injury wasn't an accident. He broke his arm on purpose because he knew that it would bring him attention."

"The thing is... is that he hadn't planned for the injury to be so severe. He accidentally broke a major bone in his arm instead of a minor one and, even with magic, it would take a miracle to heal properly. He lost his position as a beater because of it. Despite it all, he was happy because he got the attention of the entire house. It was so stupid. I would look at him disapprovingly but he would give me this smug look every time someone did his homework for him."

He took a deep breath and looked deeply at me. His face was washed with anxiety.

"You've done really well. Thank you so much for telling me. This might help bring a breakthrough in the case." I reassured him in a gentle tone.

After all of it, he smiled weakly. He thanked me for listening to him and that he was glad he could be of assistance.  

Now I have information on MacKenna, Marin and Terrell. Something is starting to form but I still knew nothing about Beckett. She was only eleven and she was gone. That's hardly a life lived. 

I pulled out the black notebook and jotted down what the boy informed me of before I forgot. The previous pages mentioned that Beckett was on good terms with the librarian, Madam Pince. There may be some indication of Beckett's habits in the books she read or what she was interested in. It's a good starting point as any.

*****
The Hogwarts library was an outstanding facility that covered two floors; the third and fourth. There were countless rows after rows of bookshelves that were several times my size. If it weren't for magic, it would be impossible to reach half the books as they were simply too high up. After every few rows, there were small alcoves containing long wooden desks that stretched across the long side of the shelf. Students would sit and read the books for their essays or, against Pince's wishes, discuss school life and schemes.