Amorentia

Chapter 16

Nyx hummed as she walked to her last class for the day, walking slowly as she had 15 minutes before class would start.

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Another student lost their powers."

Nyx stopped mid step, looking over at the two students who were waiting outside the Transfiguration classroom.

"Sorry," she said slowly, walking over to them, "what did you say?"

The first years looked at her before looking between each other.

"A student lost their power, like you did," the boy answered, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"When did this happen?" Nyx asked, feeling worried that the shadow was back after all these years.

"Last night a Gryffindor lost their powers," the boy answered.

Fear crept inside as her mind jumped to Calypso. She hadn't seen her today as she slept in and missed breakfast.

"Do you know who?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even.

Nyx swallowed the lump in her throat, her fingers picking at the parchment paper in her hand as the two first years looked at each other.

"I don't know his name," the girl answered with a shrug.

His name. Nyx breathed a sigh of relief, but felt bad for the student.

"Do you know how it happened?" She asked.

"Some seventh year Gryffindors were playing truth and dare. One dared another to run to the lake and swim to the island," the boy said slowly, looking at her through his thick eyelashes.

"And then," the girl piped in, "they were waiting for an hour and never heard from them so they went down to the Black lake. They were worried he might've drowned," she said, whispering the last part.

"But what they found was way worse," the boy cut in, glaring at the girl before continuing, "there was a dementor standing over his body with a weird fog-like substance being pulled from him."

The girl nodded, "his friends used the stupefy spell and scared it away. The Gryffindor was physically okay, but he lost his powers."

"I thought my experience was a fluke," Nyx breathed, shivering in fear as she looked around.

"Yeah, it happened to you then a few years later, it happened again," the girl mused, "maybe dementors can only steal someone's power every 3 years?"

Nyx shrugged, "I don't think dementors can steal powers though."

The boy and girl shrugged in unison.

Nyx tapped her fingers against her books, rolling back on her heels.

She opened her mouth to say something as Professor Esther Trelawney rounded the corner.

"Hi students," she smiled, motioning for the students to gather around her, "class has been cancelled for today as there will be an assembly in the Great Hall."

"Does this have to do with the Gryffindor student?" Nyx asked nervously and Professor Trelawney nodded in response.

"Please make your way to the Great Hall," she said, ushering the students back down the spiralling staircases.

Nyx watched as the first year crowded down the stairs, whispering among each other. Nyx followed behind them, the lump in her throat growing as the Great Hall came into view.

She saw Calypso standing uneasily by the doors, her eyes darting around.

"Calypso," Nyx cried, running over to her, "I just heard about the Gryffindor student. I was worried it was you."