Aine shook her head, lips parting as they quivered at the sight of her right odd eye. She didn't know what was happening, why her eye had changed, making her look monstrous. It even looked ghoulish. She wipes away her tears, the inky liquid trickling down her right eye smudging onto her pale face and tainting her hands. When she blinked, she swore she had seen the black turn red. Into blood. Blood on her fingers.
It has to be a dream, this isn't real. She tells herself, calming her dismay. It must all be an illusion, it is all fake. But unlike what she tells herself, she knows that it was all very much real and it only made her more distressed with all of the confusion and fear. The power within her grows unhinged and uncontrollable, she tries to seethe the magic inside but she was getting too frantic trying to understand herself.
The mirrors started to crack, the tiny dancing flames in the scones flickering under her pressure to ease herself. She grips the sink tighter, biting down a cry as she refuses to look at herself. She was terrified of seeing the monster staring back. She was daunted of her very self. Even the little potted plant near the counter was beginning to wilt, the leaves curling inwards as it withers, the life slowly draining away from it. It was dying.
Dying like her father, Sirius, Cedric...
The memories flashed across her vision and she hitched a breath, squeezing her eyes shut as she relieves the pain in her heart.
No more... You must not lose yourself, Aine..!
The voice of an unknown being startled the girl and she flinched, her eyes shot right open and she whips around alertly, she puts her guard up and scanned around the bathroom. But there was no on there, not a single soul. It was just herself. She clutched onto her wand and began to breathe through her mouth, inhaling as much oxygen as she can. The more she did, the better she felt and her heart started to beat normally again.
She peeks at the reflective glass, the corners of the mirror had a nasty crack but her eyes— Her odd eye was back to what it was. The disturbing blackness of her eyeball was now white again, mimicking the one on the left. She blinks once, twice— Thrice even to make sure her eyes no longer changed. Aine began to wonder if she had hallucinated about how her eye had turned colour, but she was sure it was all real when the mysterious voice spoke again.
Do not deny yourself. Do not fear...
It was the voice of someone she did not recognize, neither female nor male. It sounded unworldly and it sounded distant and yet it was like an echo of her surroundings.
She recomposes herself and stretches her turtle-neck top to breathe better. With her wand, she waves across the broken mirror and fixes it.
Reparo...
Within mere seconds, the mirror was good as new and the lighting in the room was back to how it was before; the flames were strong and bright. However, there was nothing she could do to the now-dead plant that stood in the corner. Aine's eyes softened, she couldn't bring anything that was dead back to life. There was no magic that could reverse Death. She sighs heavily and finally, she steps out of the bathroom at last.
She pulls her hair tie and lets her low bun free, the black waves of her hair bounce as she runs her fingers through her hair. She met with Madam Rosmerta who was rushing down the stairs after tending to the Ministry officials. When the older woman saw Aine, she beamed with delight and asked if she was feeling better after assuming that she had been throwing up.
Aine reassures the landlady that she was fine now and that she must have eaten something bad earlier that morning during breakfast, even though the food was perfectly fine. Rosmerta handed Aine some mint candies in hopes it would alleviate her nausea and winked at her before letting Aine head back to her partner.
She passes by Katie Bell's table and glanced at her, the older Gryffindor girl's face was apathetic but she still had some character. Except she had also looked slightly dazed but had worn a smile nonetheless.
When Aine finally sat down, Draco straightens himself and faked a grin. He gazes at her with worry when he saw her pallid complexion. It almost looked like she really had been sick and was puking her guts out in the restroom.
Aine senses Draco's anxiousness amidst the silence between them. "It's done," she said to him so softly that it was almost softer than a whisper. He takes her hand and strokes the back of it with his thumb, feeling her shake despite how calm she appeared.
"Are you alright?" he asks with genuine concern.
"I just—" she pauses, not knowing what to say about whatever had just happened with Katie and to herself in the ladies. It was ridiculous now that she thought about it, even though she knows that. Aine did not doubt how Draco would think for a moment but she felt like he would if she ever told him what really happened. Were her eyes truly playing tricks with her?
Aine swallows the lump in her throat, "I don't know. I... I think there's something wrong with me. There's something about myself that I'm just so afraid of and I can't control it." she says with a pained smile, her eyes glossy again. She hated herself for being so weak about it, and how helpless she was in that situation when she couldn't figure out what was real and what was made up, even though it was all so obvious sometimes.
"Oh, Aine..." Draco murmured, his heart sinking. He changed his seat and sat next to her instead. He brought her close and placed a small kiss on her head, rubbing her back to comfort her as best as he could. "Nothing's wrong with you," he reassures. He slides the Butterbeer she had ordered earlier to her, the crushed ice had all melted while she was away. "Here, drink some. You'll feel better."
Aine held the cup and looks down at her beverage, all of the sudden, she wasn't feeling it anymore. Her appetite was lost and she just couldn't seem to stomach it. She slowly sets it back down, "I feel like I'll throw up if I drink it," she said apologetically.
She was certain that with her queasy stomach, whatever she drinks will come out of her mouth within minutes. As much as she was sorry for how Madam Rosmerta had taken the time and effort to prepare it, she just couldn't. All she needed was to divert her mind elsewhere, so she wouldn't think about what she did to Katie or herself earlier.
Draco understood her point and knowing she wouldn't want the Butterbeer to go to waste, he chugs it down for her and then drinks his own's mug as well. He nearly had a brain freeze afterwards and Aine chuckles when Draco scrunched up. He took a couple of moments to return back to himself before sharing the same chuckle with Aine.
"I think Potter saw me earlier," he reveals, not wanting to risk not informing Aine. When he had gone to get Madam Rosmerta in an attempt to lure her to the restroom where Aine was. "He was giving me a look but I'm not sure if he suspected anything."
"I'll go talk to him and look into it. Maybe try to advert his suspicions away," Aine told him and Draco sighed.
"It feels like you're doing everything that I should be doing, love."
Aine gazed at Draco, "You did most of the mending, Draco," she said, referring to the Vanishing Cabinet. "Allow me to help you with this," she pleaded. She didn't want him to feel like he wasn't worthy, that he couldn't perform the task that Voldemort had given him. If anything, it was because she cared too much. She didn't want him to soil his hands when she was the one who had already been tainted.
Draco nodded, "Of course, Aine. Thank you. Truly..."
"I'm here for you, my love."
"And I, for you as well."
Both of them sat together for a little while before Draco decided to leave first. He left by the back door while Aine advanced towards her three friends who had hung out on the other parts of the Three Broomsticks. She had to distract Harry from overlooking what they were doing as he clearly knows something dirty was going on with Draco, ever since he saw the Malfoy lad in Borgin and Burkes, and subsequently the incident in the Hogwarts Express. He just lacked proof.
And it was Aine's job to make sure he continues to not have any evidence that points to Draco and their doings.
Aine casually walks towards the Trio's table, she spotted Professor Slughorn leaving their table and when he stops in his tracks when he saw the girl. "Estoileon! Ah! Good to see you!"
"It's great to see you too, Professor!" she greeted back, moving to the side as she avoids the drink in his hands from spilling on her. He seemed a little tipsy and ecstatic for some reason but he's always a bubbly character, so it was nothing new.
"I was just talking to your friends, Potter and Granger! I'm hosting a social dinner soon with the members of the Slug Club, would you be game to join us?" he invites.
"I'll be delighted, sir!" Aine brightly replies, her eyes sneakily moving behind him as she watches the Trio stand, preparing to leave.
"Good! Look for my owl!" Slughorn added before passing her, engulfing another older man with a friendly hug as they chortled together.
Aine quickly raced up to her friends from behind just as they left through the door of the pub. Her sudden appearance startled Ron as she throws her arms around Hermione. Harry was looking at her with a sceptical look, wondering where she had come from.
Ron took the words out of his mouth then, "Bloody hell, Ai! Where were you?"
"Just here and there! Wandering about," she replies nonchalantly.
"Were you snogging with Draco?" Hermione teases and Aine blushes at her remark.
"Of course not! We just hung out, and got a few snacks and Butterbeer but he left to meet Blaise and Cyrus," she lied, catching the little scowl on Harry's face. "Why?" she presses, hoping to get some sort of information regarding the Slytherin boy.
"Because Ginny was snogging with Dean, so we thought you were with Draco," Ron answered with a disdainful frown. He still couldn't believe what he saw earlier when his little sister was kissing another boy, he knew Ginny was a confident and fierce girl but seeing how much his sister had grown threw him off the bus.
"Jealous?" Aine questioned and Ron scoffed. Both Harry and Hermione burst out laughing and Aine relaxes a little seeing Harry drop his morose face.
The girl attempts to slide into Harry's mind, she's done it before without them knowing but that was before Harry had trained with her and Snape. She was certain that he had more control of his mind now. Nevertheless, she had locked eyes with him for a split second and looked through his memories, careful not to over pry more than she needed to.
The sounds of her friends' laughter faded in the background as she walks back to the Hogwarts castle, her mind drifting towards Harry's thoughts. In his recollection, Aine saw Harry noticing Draco conversing with Madam Rosmerta, however, what was said between the two was unknown to him due to the noise around the bar. Harry was also observant about where Draco went afterwards and how fidgety he was. Other than that, there was nothing more.
Aine disconnected herself away from Harry's mind and thankfully, her friend had not realised anything. They were clear, Harry had his doubts but there were no clues or sightings of their plan. He had not seen the necklace or the mind-controlling process, he had not heard anything that have been uttered out of their lips.
Good. She tells herself. Let's keep it that way.
A relieved sigh escaped Aine as she puts on a facade, pretending she hadn't known anything. She felt Hermione throw her arms around Harry and her shoulders, giggling as they talked more about Slughorn's dinner party, Ginny and her boyfriend. Aine felt at ease again, she no longer felt sick. Perhaps it had been the cooling air that had dried her throat, freezing her insides that she felt the cold more than the feeling of nausea. Whenever she was with her friends, she felt like she could just stop and breathe for a moment, allowing their company of them to drag her overthinking thoughts elsewhere.
Yet, deep down. She knew that there will come a time when it will all change. So she enjoyed every second with them, savouring what little peace there was.
Her golden pupils drifted from the plush snowy ground ahead, the image of the majestic castle coming into view. And what she also just noticed was the familiar girl ahead, the curve of her lips curled down almost immediately when she saw Katie Bell with Leanne.
Katie was still in a trance, but she had regained a bit of her normality. What made Aine's heart race was not the fact that the girl she had just compelled was walking ahead of them. It was the fact that she saw what was in the girl's hands. Katie took out the wrapped box that she had once shoved in her saddle bag, the cloth was coming apart but the black box had still concealed the Cursed Necklace. If she had dropped that box, the contents within would definitely spill...
That was what Aine was worried about. It was the fact that Katie was holding it so carelessly. She observes the pair of girls, she could hear that they were arguing about the 'gift' Katie had to bring to Dumbledore. The box is pushed around as Leanne tries to take it from Katie but the compelled girl wouldn't let go of it. The small lock on the box loosened, as it was an old piece of jewellery, the display case had also been aged and the lock was rusty too. With every yank, the box threatens to open and Aine's nerves stiffen up.
And what she feared came to happen the next moment.
Leanne's horrified scream echoed through the thick winter, sending all four Gryffindors behind her to halt their steps. Their grins and smiles disappear away, replaced by widened eyes. Alarmed by the unsettling cry. "I warned her! I warned her not to touch it!" she shrieks, looking at them for help.
Katie's body jerked around on the snow, she was in a hypnotic state and her eyes clouded as her limbs flung around as though an invisible person had shoved her like a ragged doll. Then, she rose gracefully into the air, her arms outstretched as though she was about to fly, her hair whipped around in the fierce wind.
Suspended in the air six feet above the ground, a bone-chilling scream left Katie's lips, sending everyone on site to panic. Her clouded dark eyes flew open but whatever she was seeing, and whatever she was hearing was clearly causing her terrible anguish.
Harry and Ron quickly rush towards their fellow Gryffindor senior, trying to pull her down but all magic had failed. It was when Katie's body had finally been roughly thrown back to the ground that she started convulsing as if she had been in some sort of fit.
Hermione pulls Leanne away, recoiling back in fear as they watch the boys crowd around Katie, trying their best to wake her from her daze. Aine staggered back, she was petrified and her fists balled together as she hides her trembling hands. Guilt was plastered all over her face, disguised as a shock. She held herself together and approached Katie and the boys, the cursed necklace sprawled across the velvet ground, still screeching.
Ron was quick to drag Aine away from catching a glimpse of Katie's state. "Do not, Ai!" he instinctively protected her and Hermione takes her back before she could get closer.
Aine could feel herself diminishing amongst her friends, the guilt eating her up from the inside like a parasite. Her arm was burning again and she grips onto her sleeve, chewing her lips from the pain.
"Don't get any closer! Get back, all of you!" Hagrid appears from behind, his expression grave when he saw Katie. The giant rushes forward to her and picks her body up, sighing as he caresses her head. "Oh no, no, no..."
The Hogwarts gamekeeper snaps to Harry when the boy kneels down towards the opal necklace. "Do not touch that!" he ordered, causing Harry to almost jump when he heard how stern Hagrid sounded. "Except for the wrappings. Do you understand?" he softens when he saw how the students looked. They were perturbed, afraid and shocked at the same time.
Harry nodded and with Aine's help, she levitated the necklace into the box and wraps it tightly, making sure they did not touch the jewellery with their bare hands. Her fingers press onto the wrapped gift as she mentally prepares herself for what's about to happen. She didn't even know that she was holding her breath until Hermione placed a hand on her, snapping her from her thoughts as she finally let out a small gasp.
All of them then threaded behind Hagrid as he carries Katie in his arms back to the school so that she could be treated.
~~~
The Cursed Necklace was brought straight to Professor McGonagall after Hagrid had sent Katie to the Infirmary. The girl had to be taken to St. Mungos Hospital immediately after treating the light wounds her. She had fallen unconscious ever since she had arrived back at school and Aine no longer could control her.
Professor McGonagall's expression was solemn when she examines the opal necklace that was displayed before her eyes. She was horrified when she witnessed Aine bringing it out after the catastrophic accident. She circled around the table where the necklace rested, "You're sure Katie did not have this in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?" she inquired to Leanne who was with Katie today.
Aine's knuckles grew white as she digs her nails into her palms, creating little moons as she plays it cool. However, her mind was in complete madness. She failed. They had failed—
"It's like I said— She left to go to the loo. And when she came back, she had the package," Leanne explained, tracing back whatever that had happened earlier today. Her gaze cast downwards, lost in thoughts as she recalls. "She kept saying it was important that she deliver it," she added.
"Did she say to whom?" McGonagall questions.
"To Professor Dumbledore," Leanne answered.
Seeing that Leanne had told her everything she needed, McGonagall dismisses the girl before turning to the group left behind. The Transfiguration professor sighs loudly at the four students, half expecting to see them since whenever something disastrous happened, they were always there. "Why is it when something happens, it is always you three and sometimes four?"
Hermione squirmed awkwardly, not knowing why either while Harry looks down at his shoes and Aine played with her charm bracelet to distract herself. It was Ron who had replied, "Believe me, Professor, I've been asking myself the same question for six years."
"Oh, Severus!" McGonagall gasped when Professor Snape passed by the classroom. She beckoned him to come and when he entered, Snape gave Aine a quick look before adverting his gaze away to the necklace. "What do you think?" the head of Gryffindor asks when he uses his wand to hang the opal necklace in the air. He twirls the piece around and the two professors' faces darkened.
"I think Miss Bell is lucky to be alive," he said.
"She was cursed, wasn't she?" Harry questions. He went on, "I know Katie— Off the Quidditch pitch, she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was planning to deliver that to Professor Dumbledore, she wasn't doing it knowingly. For a second I thought she was even... Mind-controlled." His eyes travel to Aine when he said it and the girl squints at him, feigning cluelessness.
Keep calm... Aine instructed herself, her face was blank ever since just now. She continued to not wear any expression and remained apathetic but not enough to let others know that she was cold-blooded.
"Yes, she was cursed..." McGonagall proclaimed.
"It was Malfoy," Harry boldly insinuates, causing McGonagall and Snape to spin around to him. Both Hermione and Ron gaped at his accusation and Aine felt her blood boil, her eyes twitching at his words.
She couldn't help but scoff when she heard it, she became surly and glares at her friend who had been taken aback by her outburst. "Again? What is it with him that you can't just seem to let go of your deeply ingrained lack of trust? For you to go on accusing him of such— Barbaric accident?"
"Accident?" it was Harry's turn to become hostile. He rolls his eyes. "Katie could have died, Aine! It was a murder attempt! I saw him earlier, it has to be him! How long are you going to defend him just because he's your boyfriend? Do you not see how much he has changed and how dodgy he has been?!" he shouted so loudly that his veins popped out from his neck. It sounded like he had been keeping it in and finally, they were spilling.
Hermione and Ron intervened between them before they could be at each other's throats. Aine raised her chin, daring him to say another word. Her eyes flashed with fury and her jaw clenched.
"Harry, that's enough..." the brunette girl implores, patting Aine's arm while Ron nudges Harry back.
The adults merely watch the fight break out, both were livid, trying to get their points across. Aine went defensive, she has always hated how quick Harry was to get at Draco. The Slytherin boy was like a person Harry needed to dump all his anger on and blame for all of the bad things that happened. "That's because he did no such thing! It's your hatred of him that clouds your judgement! As it has always been!" Aine counters back.
McGonagall finally interjects, sensing their outrage bursting higher. Harry was clutching onto his wand now, wanting to attack while Aine was on her guard, she didn't need her wand to cast spells if he was the first to strike. "Enough, the two of you, please—"
"And it is your pathetic, twisted affection for him that makes you keep denying the truth!" Harry spats back with venom in his tone. His words hurt Aine and sadness overtook her features. For a second, Harry debated whether Aine would even attack him then and there. The spark in her eyes was dangerous, perhaps he had gone too far igniting little flame but he said what he had to. He still believed Draco was the one who was behind all of it.
"ENOUGH!" Snape bellows, he took a step towards Harry and glanced at the boy's shaking hand tugging onto his wand, already pointing it towards Aine. "Put away, Potter," he demanded. He shifted his gaze to Aine and eyes her down to keep herself together but the girl was just glowering at him.
"It was Malfoy! It has to be!" Harry insisted, giving one last attempt to convince them all otherwise.
"I said— Enough," Snape repeated, sterner this time.
Harry swallowed a snarl and looks away and McGonagall studies the boy, "Do you know that what you implied is a very serious accusation, Potter!" she pointed.
"Indeed. Your evidence?" Snape questions, quirking a brow.
"I just know," Harry shrugged, cockier as ever.
Not expecting how grave Harry's reckless insinuations are, McGonagall pursed her lips and sighs through her nose disapprovingly.
"You just know..." Snape belittles. "Once again, you're astonished by your gifts, Potter. Gifts mere mortals can only dream of possessing. How grand it must be to be the Chosen One," he said, almost spitting at the boy's face.
The room fell silent, so quiet that the only sound was the chirping creatures in the cages and the ticking of the clock.
There came another huff and McGonagall gave the four Gryffindors one more look before dismissing them, "I suggest you go back to your dormitories. All of you."
"Have a good day, professors," Aine bids as she gave a small dip of her head before excusing herself first from the group. She met Snape's cryptic gaze on her and she simply spins around to leave, her raven black locks swishing furiously as she walks out.
Hermione quickly runs after her and the boys followed soon after, no one uttered a word until the professors were out of their sight.
─── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───
Yep. The drama is back! Is it bad that I actually want Aine and Harry to fight it out then and there? But that'll have to wait for a little longer!
Let me know what you think of this chapter! Do upvote and leave some comments if you like! All comments are welcomed~
Stay safe, take care and hydrate yourself well, my loves! <3
- Zeneria