The days following November 24th were full of celebration. The Gryffindors bubbled with pride over Harry's performance during the First Task. Another topic of conversation was the champions' golden eggs. Harry opened his for the Gryffindors. It had emitted a loud and screechy wailing. Each idea of what it could mean was more outlandish than the last.
The start of the December brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts. Yet, Hagrid still had his classes outdoors. You, Angelina, and Alicia had just arrived in the entrance hall from one of them. The three of you were drenched from the combination of rain and snow that had hammered down upon you during the run from Hagrid's hut. Angelina pulled out a handheld mirror from her bag and examined her face.
"My makeup is completely ruined!" she groaned.
"Ange," you said while trying to wring out your robs, "It looks completely fine! Really. Just touch up under your eyes," Alicia glanced at her watch.
"Want to run up to Gryffindor Tower?" she asked, "We have time before Defense Against the Dark Arts,"
"Definitely," you said. The three of you rushed up to your shared dormitory. Angelina immediately went to the mirror. You pulled off your drenched clothes and put on some new ones. You then joined Angelina at the mirror and dried your hair with a quick spell. Alicia changed as well. Once all of you were ready, you sprinted to class.
You, Angelina, and Alicia arrived a few minutes before the bell. As you sat down in the desk behind your two friends, you glanced over to where Lee, George, and Fred sat. You and Fred made eye contact for a split second. You turned pink and reached into your bag to pull out your book, heart pounding furiously. As you straightened up, you realized someone was sitting in the once empty seat beside you.
"So, Wood," Adrian Pucey smirked, "How are you doing?"
"What do you want?" you snapped.
"Whoa there," Pucey said, raising his hands into the hair, "Just asking a question," You opened your mouth to tell the Slytherin to sit somewhere else when Professor Moody walked into the room. The class immediately fell silent. You scooted as far away as you could from Pucey, scowling. Looks like you would have to sit next to that piece of filth for the rest of the class.
"Today," growled Moody, "We will be talking about memory charms. Can someone tell me the most common one?" You raised your hand with the majority of the class. Moody called on Roger Davies.
"It's obliviate," Davies said, "The spell erases memories,"
"Very good," Moody said. He wrote the spell on the blackboard, "Useful spell. Used on muggles and wizards alike. Can be broken though, but that requires extensive magical knowledge," Professor Moody continued to explain the obliviate charm. As he did, Pucey leaned closer to you.
"I heard you and Weasley aren't going out anymore," he hissed, "What caused the break up?"
"We were never dating," you whispered back, "Now shut up and let me listen to the lecture,"
"Can anyone tell me the the reversed variation of obliviate?" asked Moody. His magical eye whizzed around in his socket. No one raised their hands this time. You wracked your brain. You weren't sure if you had ever heard of a spell that was the opposite of obliviate. "Thought so," continued Moody, "It's not something many know about," He turned to the board and wrote the charm instituo.
"What's that spell, Professor?" asked an eager Ravenclaw girl in the front row. Moody turned and examined the classes' faces.
"This charm allows a witch or wizard to embed a memory into another person. It, like the breaking of obliviate, requires great power to perform," Moody explained. Alicia raised her hand. Moody nodded to her.
"Sir, what types of memories can a person place into someone else?" Alicia asked.
"Could be anything," said Moody, "Celebrations, messages, information. Whatever is important enough to be sink into someone's memory forever," A thought suddenly came to your mind. Last year, you heard your mother and father because of the presence of a dementor. Those horrible creatures made people think of their worse and most terrifying memories. You had no memories with either of your parents because your mother died after giving birth to you and you had no idea who your father was. Could the voices you heard be a result of the instituo charm? It made sense if it was; it would explain everything, from why you heard your parents' voices to the fact that dementors bring up memories. Your hand flew into the air. "Yes?" said Moody.
"Who can the charm inflict, Professor?" you asked. You could barely breathe. Both of Moody's eyes fixed directly upon your face. It made you shiver uncomfortably.
"Anyone," he said, "From a child in the womb to a dying old man," The professor's words sank into you slowly. So this spell must be the reason why you heard your parents' voices. The thought made you frightened, happy, intrigued, and slightly repulsed at the same time.
Moody continued to teach about the value of memory charms, but you couldn't focus. All you wanted to do was write to your uncle, Remus, and tell him what you had found out. You'd have to borrow another owl because Connolly was already at Remus' place with the letter you sent about your meeting with Madame Maxime. That didn't matter though; this information was too important to wait.
Once the bell rang to dismiss you, you hurriedly put your book away and dashed out of the classroom. You headed straight to the Owlery. You didn't hear the footsteps behind you until Adrian Pucey grabbed your shoulder, making you stop in your tracks.
"Pucey, why did you follow me?" you demanded.
"Just needed to talk to you," the Slytherin said, grinning, "We didn't get enough time in class,"
"About?" you asked. You jerked your shoulder out of Pucey's grasp and folded your arms.
"Just wanted to remind you of my offer," he said, "About meeting somewhere sometime. Just thought that now Weasley is gone, you'd-,"
"When are you going to realize that I'm never going to be into you?" you cut him off, "It doesn't matter if I'm with someone or not, you absolutely repulse me," Pucey's smiled broadened.
"Then it'll make our time together even better," he said. He reached out and put his hands on your waist, drawing you closer to him. You pulled back your arm and punched him squarely in the face. Pucey released you, clutching his nose.
"Don't ever bother me again," you snapped. You turned on your heel and stormed away, heading once again to the Owlery. You ran up a couple of flights to put distance between you and the disgusting boy. You were too far away to hear what happened next.
George, Fred, and Lee rounded the corner after you left Pucey. Fred grabbed the Slytherin by the shoulders and pinned him against the wall.
"What the hell!" Pucey exclaimed. Blood was dripping from his nose.
"What did you say to her?" Fred demanded. His lip was curled.
"You three following her or something?" spat Pucey.
"No," George said cooly, "But we noticed you following her after class,"
"You're an absolute idiot for not realizing we'd never let someone touch Y/N," Lee smirked.
"I know that," Pucey snapped. He then looked at Fred, who still had him pinned against the castle wall. Pucey smiled sarcastically. "What I don't understand is why you care. She's not your girl anymore," Fred's eyes narrowed. George and Lee exchanged an uneasy look.
"It doesn't matter," Fred replied. His voice was even, but his hand shook slightly. "I promised to protect her and I'm never going to break that promise,"
"Fine," Pucey said, "I won't bother Y/N again,"
"Good," Lee said curtly.
"And if you do," George offered Pucey a twisted smile, "We won't be so polite,"
"Learn to respect women, Pucey," Fred practically growled. Then he released the Slytherin. Fred, George, and Lee walked down the corridor. None of them looked back at Pucey as he pinched his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.
•••
You stood in the Owlery, rereading the letter you wrote to your uncle.
Uncle Remus,
I know I haven't received your reply about my meeting with Madame Maxime, but this was too essential.
Today in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Moody talked about the instituo charm. It allows a person to embed a memory in another. I think that's what happened to me; my mother or father could have placed their voices in my mind. That's why I heard them last year when I encountered a dementor. Does that make sense? Please write back with your thought soon.
I love you.
Y/N
You slid your letter into an envelope. A school barn owl fluttered down and rested in front of you. You tied the letter to the owl's leg. It hooted softly. You carried the bird to an open window and watched it soar out into the winter weather.
You leaned slightly out of the window and examined the grounds. Various students ran through the snow. They looked smaller than ants from the Owlery. The Durmstrang ship pitched in the wind. Its black sails billowed outwards. The Beauxbatons carriage looked equally chilly. Madame Maxime's horses stood together in their paddock to keep one another warm. You thought you saw Fleur stepping out of the carriage and going over to the horses with a group of friends. Seeing Fleur stirred a memory in your head. You pulled out another piece of parchment from your bag and wrote.
Fleur,
I would love to talk to your mother sometime about my mom. Should I owl her or will she be coming up for the Tournament? Either ways, let me now. I hope you are staying warm.
Y/N Wood
Ps. You were right. Fred does keep looking at me.
You sealed the letter. Another school owl alighted upon your shoulder. It took the letter in its beak and swooped outside. You glanced at the old clock on the Owlery's wall. It read 1:30 pm. Cedric would be finishing lunch and heading to the library right now. You picked up your bag and slung it over your shoulder, figuring that you would meet up with your friend.