Chasing Time (Seamus Finnigan)

thirthy-seven

Beauxbatons was different. I had the strong feeling I didn't quite fit in. This castle was so different from Hogwarts: every single wall was painted in light blue or white, all students wore lavender blue robes and even the amosphere was light.

At least one hundred times a day I wished I was back at Hogwarts, whilst I roamed the corridors alone. I had a really hard time talking to people, as everyone avoided me. But there was a girl from my year, I supposed her name was Alannah, who looked at me often and then smiled at me. I was really thankful for that. One day, she even approached me when I was sitting in the restaurant, having dinner alone.

'Hi. You are new aren't you?' she said, smiling at me. 'Yep.'

'Well, I'm Alannah,' she said and I shook her hand. 'Dora.'

'Dora. Is it an abbreviation?'

'Yeah,  my full name is Callidora Yaxley,' I said. That was the first time in my whole life I had ever told someone my full name.

'Wow. That's a long one. Mine's Alannah Colonia. But my friends call me Alan anyway. You're the daughter of Corban Yaxley, right? The Death Eater?'

'Yeah, that's me,' I replied honestly. My dad was killed two years ago, and I had managed to go on with my life. At Hogwarts it was easier than here. There I had friends but here I had nothing except for my classes to keep me busy.

'Yeah, indeed. Now I see how much you're like him... Oh, I see my friends are here. Bye.' With these words Alannah turned around and walked away.

I couldn't believe I had thought she was kind, she was only nice to me because she wanted to know if it was true or not. Maybe I looked a bit like a Death Eater here, as it seemed not to be okay to have a piercing or to wear dark purple lipstick, or to like black clothing. May I ask, isn't the purpose of existing, whatever that may be, to actually be yourself?

'So, mademoiselle Yaxley, you attended Hogwarts, but you came here during the schoolyear. Monsieur Snape didn't tell me why, so I ask you now,' madam Maxine told me whilst she paced through her room.

'I um... I failed my subjects,' I lied quickly. I supposed it wasn't a good idea to tell her about the Unbreakable Vow, my Dark Mark and all the rest.

'You failed your subjects? And which subjects, may I ask?'

'Um... Potions and Charms, and Arithmancy,' I said. 'Oh, dear, I am afraid you're not telling me the truth,' she said. As I didn't reply to that, she turned around and approached me.

'You should learn how to block your mind. It's easy for a Legilimens to read it.'

Fine, so she could see into my mind, very nice. I could totally handle that. 'Oh, that's true... I'm verry sorry, professor, but I didn't quite tell you the truth. Because the truth is... That my father died two years ago, and right now my Aunt... came back from a journey she was making... and... so she can take care of me... and she lives in Italy, so... I had to come here,' I stuttered.

Madam Maxine frowned, staring at me, whilst I was trying not to think of anything but a fictional Aunt that lived in Italy.

After a few minutes she opened the door of her office. 'Very well. Out you go, you've got some classes left, today.'

I didn't know if she had read my mind or not, if she knew what I knew or not. I didn't know anything about her. I didn't like Legilimentes. I liked to keep my thoughts to myself, even when I shouldn't.

I left her office and hurried to the tirth floor for Nonverbal Spells, a core class here at Beauxbatons.

The door was already closed so I knocked and entered the classroom. The teacher, professor Blanchard (those French names are so difficult to pronounce!) gave me a smile as I walked to the table in the back, but my classmates didn't even look at me.

'So, as I told the rest of the class, we are now studying a rather difficult spell. You should all know how to cast it by saying the words, now we'll practice without saying the words. The incantation is on the blackboard, so get on your feet, find yourself a partner and start working. You will be grated for this.' Chairs moved and everybody got up.

Except for me. I knew our class was uneven, so there had to be someone that worked alone. It was always me.

I glared at the blackboard. Depulso. I pointed my wand at my book, thinking of the word over and over. And the book arised and dropped where I wanted it to drop: on the floor, next to my desk.

I saw the other students were still practicing, but nobody had succeeded so far. I ducked and took my book. Then I pointed my wand at Alannah Colonia. She started screaming as I pointed my wand at the other side of the room and she flew over to the wall and smacked to the ground.

Ginny

I held my breath as I heard Dora and Snape talking downstairs. My hand was sweaty from holding the sword and I just hoped Neville was alright, and I would be alright too. Because I was trapped in Snape's office. Unless he would walk away, he would find me and punish me.

But that wasn't my problem, really. I was more worried about the sword. Harry needed it and if I failed now, he would never get it. Snape would lock it away as soon he found out I tried to steal it.

I heard footsteps and then nothing anymore. I took of my sweater and wrapped it around the sword, then made my way downstairs. The corridor was empty and I hurried to the Gryffindor Tower. I arrived, panting. The Fat Lady glared at the sword that was wrapped in my Gryffindor sweater, but didn't say anything about it, luckily.

'Fundamenta laci,' I said and she nodded and I could enter the common room. I ran up the stairs to my dorm and locked the sword in my trunk.

'Ginny? You're okay?' A voice said behind me and I almost jumped. 'Yeah,' I said quickly. Helen walked to her bed. 'Did you got caught again?' I asked as I saw her bruised face. Helen liked to sneak off to the Room of Requirement, with her boyfriend Charlie but sometimes it didn't end that well.

'No, that wasn't it this time. Carrow did this, for a change,' she said with a smirk. I liked Helen, she was the only Gryffindor girl in my year, and we're good friends. Lately she was dating Charlie Willson, a friend of Dora's. I wondered if Dora was going to be alright, though. I supposed Snape was giving her a hard time again.

'Where were you during class anyway? And how come you're not in the Great Hall for lunch?' Helen asked.

'I um... I had to do something, but I'll tell you later, okay? I think I'll go and have some lunch.' I left the dorm quickly and went to the Great Hall, searching for Neville and Luna.