Cursed (Hogwarts Legacy fanfiction - original in German)

Chapter 29 - Read between the lines

Nathan and Sebastian exchanged a glance and seemingly understood each other instantly, without anyone needing to say a word.
"Thank you for your time," Nathan finally said, representing Ominis, Sebastian, and himself to Professor Weasley and Professor Black. "And have a great holiday."

Professor Weasley nodded once more at her three students before focusing entirely on Professor Black, who seemed eager to quickly conclude their meeting. While the two professors delved into a conversation, Nathan, Sebastian, and Ominis moved away from them and huddled together.

"Of all people, she left a note for Imelda?" Ominis asked somewhat skeptically, knowing from Phina's stories that while the two were quite friendly, Imelda was certainly not Phina's first choice for such important information.

"We absolutely need to catch her before she runs off for the holidays," Sebastian said, immediately heading towards the Quidditch pitch. Nathan followed him silently, for even he knew by now that the Slytherin girl was completely obsessed with flying, and they would most likely catch her on the field where she practiced maneuvers almost every day after class.

And indeed, luck was on their side. Imelda was zooming at top speed in a slalom around a few obstacles as they entered the field.
"Imelda!" Sebastian called up to her, but she seemed too focused and didn't hear him. Sebastian grumbled in annoyance, preparing to call out to her again, but Nathan beat him to it. 

He drew his wand, narrowed his eyes slightly as if aiming at a distant target, and after an elegant yet swift movement of his wand, a silver spark suddenly shot towards the obstacle Imelda was approaching. Everything happened so fast that Sebastian only realized what had occurred when the small wooden ring at the top of the tall pole suddenly shattered into pieces, and Nathan smirked contentedly. 

Imelda slammed on the brakes, staring with shock from her wide-open eyes toward the source of the spell that had almost hit her had she been flying just a bit faster. Sebastian had to admit he was quite impressed that Nathan not only conjured a nonverbal spell seemingly out of nowhere but also executed it safely and precisely, ensuring Imelda had never been truly in danger for even a second. He was certain that the Keeper descendant knew much more magic than he had revealed so far. After all, he was about a year and a half older than his classmates in the same school year, but Sebastian was convinced that wasn't the sole reason for his exceptional talent with a wand.

"Are you insane, Fitzgerald?!" Imelda now scolded him after swooping down to them, stopping her broom at the last moment, as if trying to pay Nathan back for the brief moment of shock. Nathan seemed quite unfazed by her reaction; he hadn't even blinked, which amused Sebastian a little despite all the worries he had about Phina. He visibly struggled not to laugh at Imelda's agitated expression.

"The success proves me right; otherwise, you wouldn't have noticed us," he said, giving a lopsided smile. Meanwhile, Imelda dismounted her broom, internally annoyed that Nathan's smile had an effect on her that she couldn't prevent. He just looked undeniably good and charming.

"What do you want from me?" she finally asked, letting her gaze sweep once over Sebastian and Ominis before looking back at Nathan questioningly. Her hair was tousled by the wind, but with her Quidditch outfit, she already looked like the professional team captain she aspired to become. 

Ominis had held back so far; the Quidditch pitch wasn't exactly his favorite place in Hogwarts. In fact, anything related to flying made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. He only knew the feeling from a few duels where someone had caught him with a Levioso spell, and that was enough for him to prefer having solid ground under his feet.

"We're looking for Phina, and Professor Black mentioned you had a note from her?" he said as calmly as possible, not wanting to agitate Imelda further, and she nodded immediately, albeit with a hint of confusion.
"Yes, it was on her bed this morning, and I took it to Professor Black," she explained, then scrutinized the three boys in front of her again, somewhat incredulously. "I'm honestly a little surprised that apparently, you don't know anything about her plans."