Misunderstood Maledictions | Tomione

The Snake Likes You Nef

It killed her to beg, but…before she could do anything Celene had glided into Draco's lap and was snatching the book from him.

"Hey, I'll reveal it!" He said snatching the book back from his girlfriend causing her and Hermione to pout.

He flipped Fatal Curses and Their Symptoms open to the marked page and started to read aloud. "Anima Adflictatio, literally, soul pain, is one of the most archaic and advanced of the forty-three fatal Dark Arts curses. Over time, the Anima curse has become increasingly obsolete, in part because the power to administer and remove the curse is only possible by the magic of a member of one of the ancient magical bloodlines. As Muggle and Magical interaction increases, less and less witches and wizards will have the inherent ability to perform the dying art of Dark Magic."

"Well, that explains how dear mummy put it on him in the first place; she was a Slytherin—literally," Ron commented offhandedly. He permanently abandoned his research book - which had somehow turned into a Quidditch handbook - and rubbed his hands together expectantly. "What does it say? Can it kill him?"

For some reason, a knot was beginning to take form in the pit of Hermione's stomach. "Obviously it can't, Ron, because Riddle had to have had it the last time, and Lord Voldemort was still going strong when we left our time…"

"No, no, wait…" Draco held up a finger, his eyes scanning the page. "TheAnima curse is performed… blah blah blah… Here it is: only becoming physically hindering, and, in most cases, fatal, when the Afflicted…"

Draco trailed off, squinting at the writing. "When the Afflicted…"

Hermione glanced sharply at the blond Slytherin, but he was staring at the page in what could have passed as semi-shock, a slow, incredulous but sly smile spreading across his face. "When the Afflicted what?" she warily asked, her voice guardedly tight.

The smile having already grown to a full-fledged smirk, Draco held up the book and continued arrogantly, "The curse will remain dormant, only becoming physically hindering, and, in most cases, fatal, when the Afflicted's feelings for another deepen beyond the superficial."

Still smirking, he snapped the book shut, his finger marking his place. "Translate that one into English."

"So, in other words, when he begins to care… about… someone else," Hermione mused slowly, composedly. Her mind, however, was whirling with a thousand confused thoughts, each swirling like a whirlwind of different colours in her head.

"I suppose that explains why Riddle distances himself — that way, he doesn't even run the risk of getting close to anyone," she noted after a beat, pausing. She decided to ask the question that had plagued her mind for weeks. "But why is the curse taking effect this time? What's so different? Why didn't it happen the last time?"

Ginny and Lavender and Celene stealthily exchanged shrewd glances.

"Let's go through this, shall we?" Draco drawled out in the unhurried, teasing manner of one who knows something his neighbour clearly doesn't but would love to find out. He opened the book back to theAnima Curse's page and folded his hands thoughtfully, his slightly amused blue eyes making contact with her perplexed brown ones. "Of the times Riddle's gotten… hit with this curse, I suppose you could say, have you noticed anything… Odd? Similar, even?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, absently staring into the flickering orange and gold fire. "The first time I saw it happen was at the Friday Night Dance that he found out about—where you two saw him," she added, nodding at Ron and Harry. Her mind easily flew back the three weeks.

"I… I ran into him—literally—and, you know, said hello. Of, course, I wasn't going to stick around and make small talk, and I was about to leave when he just… doubled over. Doubled over. I mean, whatever it was, it was really bad, but it only lasted a few minutes."