She woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up straight in bed, breathing heavily. She looked around her room, tugging at her knees, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was in her room. Ever since the Malfoy incident, she had been afraid in that room. She only had a key to the small bathroom, but not to the door of the room. But that wasn't what had woken her up. It had been the nightmare. A dream of faceless figures pointing their wands at her. Of a boy who had suddenly disappeared. And of unspeakable pain, followed by a nightmare about Malfoy. Shivering, she brushed back her wet hair and ran a hand through her sweaty face. what time was it? She asked herself. Searchingly, she looked around the room to find the small clock on the nightstand. Half past three in the morning. Sighing, Hazel decided to take a shower. She carefully prepared her uniform, brush and towels before locking the bathroom and stepping into the warm shower.
As the warmth reached her bones, the tears that had been waiting since the dream came to her. For a few minutes she huddled on the floor of the shower sobbing before she pulled herself together and finished showering.
Instead of her uniform, she now wore loose cloth pants and a comfortable sweater and sat down with a schoolbook by the fireplace in the common room, her legs drawn up to her body. She hadn't even combed her hair properly, so her curls fell wildly around her face. As time passed, she changed her seat. She didn't feel like being noticed quickly by other early-rising classmates, so she sat down by the window that faced the Black Lake.
The book was long uninteresting, instead she had begun to stare out into the water, until she was finally noticed. With a short glance at one of the clocks in the common room, she sighed. Half past four. "Well Black, are you looking for mermaids?" she heard the unmistakable voice of Samael Malfoy, but instead of showing fear, she continued to stare unaffected into the depths of the lake. "What do you want Malfoy?" she said uncaringly. "Can't sleep, sweetie?" he asked instead, coming closer. In the sleeve of her sweater she had hidden her wand, which she now clutched unnoticeably. "Obviously," was all she replied. She noticed that he didn't like her behavior. He probably wanted her to pee her pants in fear, but she didn't have the strength for that. "Do you remember our... conversation?" he asked. His voice took on that sickening undertone that made her feel dirty again. She refused to let that be noticed. "I'm going to have to disappoint you. I don't care enough about your talk to give it any meaning, Malfoy," she said. In the corner of her eye she could see that he was getting angry. He wasn't used to being treated like this, let alone that anyone had ever rejected him.
When he went to draw his wand, she already had hers in hand and pointed at him, her eyes still turned toward the lake. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned carelessly. "Or what?" he asked threateningly, his wand now pointed at her. "Don't act dumber than you are. Whatever you plan to do, it would awaken our classmates and portraits." "There are also spells whose effects are not so loud" he said and with a muttered word and a wave of his wand Hazel's voice failed her. Inwardly, she wanted to panic. She throbbed against the emptiness inside her, but Hazel fought it back, not letting on and keeping her wand pointed at him. She concentrated on the spells she wanted to cast: Levioso and Finite. All her thinking focused on it and finally Malfoy cried out in surprise. Levioso had caught Malfoy, while she was now pointing her wand at herself to cancel his spell. "I am an heiress of the main Black family tree. Did you really think I could only do low-grade spells?" she said uncaringly. She waved her wand barely visible. "Depulso," she muttered boredly, and in the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy spinning in the air. She then swung her wand a little more energetically and threw him out of that part of the common room towards the fireplace. Satisfied, she realized that he had left her alone...
"How long have you been sitting here?" she was jolted out of her thoughts and catapulted back into reality. Ominis had sat down next to her. "What time is it?" she asked wearily, rubbing her eyes. "Half past five. We have to get to breakfast soon" he said. She leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. "Two hours" she replied to his original question. He moved closer to her until their shoulders touched. "what's wrong?" Ominis asked. "I... I had a bad dream. That's all." she muttered softly to herself. "And why is your heartbeat so loud?" the blind boy asked gently, reaching for her hand. It felt good the way he gently slid his thumb over the back of her hand. "Malfoy was here, but I put him in his place," she replied with a smile, quietly telling him what had happened as the common room filled up and the students slowly made their way to breakfast. When Sebastian finally showed up, Hazel went to her room to put on her uniform, while her boys stood guard outside her room.
"Tell me, Hazel... do you like dueling? So for fun I mean?" Sebastian asked her as they were walking up the stairs near the Great Hall. "Yes. You could call it stress relief. There were days, last year, when I kicked Professor Fig's butt all the way!" she said with a reluctant laugh. "Then I'll take you somewhere soon. I think you'll like it" he said as they sat down. "Have we gone from leashes to bodyguards now?" A girl next to Malfoy laughed. "Aren't students from the same house supposed to make sure that such a thing wouldn't be necessary?" Hazel countered with indifference. "I thought the oh-so-noble old bloodlines were... better than that." she added with a hint of disgust. "Better than what?" the girl, who looked like an exact copy of the light-blond Malfoy, hissed. "Better than the scum of the muggle world," Hazel replied nonchalantly.
She didn't understand all this talk of noble houses anyway, when they all behaved the same as the Muggles they so hated. A murmur could be heard around them. It seemed that no one had ever dared to confront them. Hazel didn't care by now. She just tried not to expend any more energy than necessary. Today she would not play up emotions if she didn't have to.
Malfoy stood up. "You'd better sit down. I don't think you want me talking to my family," she said, bored. It was only a bluff, but an effective one. He sat down and his sister stared at her hatefully. "They're starting to get on my nerves" Hazel muttered as she took a sip of tea. Suddenly the screeching of owls could be heard in the hall and she looked up. Several owls - some carrying letters, some carrying newspapers, some even carrying small packages - flew through the windows of the hall. One of the letters almost fell on Hazel's marmalade bread. "I love you too Lilly" she called up to her owl, which circled restlessly above her and then - just like that - plopped down on her shoulder. "uff Lilly!" moaned Hazel. Nurse Blainey had healed Hazel's bones, but her shoulder was still a little sore. Surrendered, Hazel stroked her owl and offered her a piece of bread. "I don't think fruit tea is that good for you" she said as Lilly eyed her cup. Lilly let out a little screech and instead leaned down to Ominis water glass. "Hey! You don't drink out of other people's glasses Lilly, stop it! You and I will talk about your manners later Madame!" Hazel cursed. Ominis just laughed. "Let her drink if she wants. There's nothing wrong with even an animal enjoying spending time with you!" he said, carefully extending his hand to the owl. Lilly eyed his fingers at first, as if they were some strange animal. Curious, she approached the fingers and gently nibbled on them as if to feel them out before allowing herself to be stroked. "I'm not usually that into animals. I tend to trip over them and then they get mad at me" he laughed. His laugh warmed Hazel's heart. It made her smile, too. "That's because they're so small. Your attention is way higher. You're just not used to animals" Hazel said. Ominis nodded. When Lilly finally flew away again, messing up Hazel's half-open curls, she decided to read the letter.
Miss Black,
Come see me in my office after breakfast. I've discovered something in the viole we found at Gringotts.
Professor Eleazar Fig
"Would you like one of us to accompany you?" Sebastian asked as he glanced at the letter. "No, that's all right. I'll just bombard anyone who gets on my nerves. I haven't mastered the spell yet, but the chaos will let me run away." she laughed soothingly. She knew that they were very worried about her. And deep inside Hazel was permanently afraid of meeting Malfoy alone, she decided to show them that they needn't worry. Even though she probably knew better herself. As Sebastian once said, She was worse than he was in some ways.
Lost in her thoughts and with springy, almost jumping steps, she walked along the corridors. She had stowed her cloak in her school bag, which she gripped with both hands behind her back. Shortly before Professor Fig's classroom, a familiar blonde person stood in her way. "Ohh piss off Malfoy!" Hazel called out. "Now, now, black bunny." he tried a charming smile. Hazel snorted. "Maybe next time you'll start your charming ways when you're interested in a girl, Malfoy, instead of almost raping her!" Hazel replied. Malfoy frowned. But then his face contorted into a sickening smile, as she felt a painful tug on her ponytail from behind as someone behind her pulled her head down her neck. "Now you listen, Missy" a feminine voice growled in her ear. "You're not as scary as you think you are, you already know that right? More like a bunch of puppies being mischievous because they don't get the attention that, OUCH!" started Hazel laughing as Malfoy's twin pulled harder on her hair. "Are you sure?" she purred. "First of all, it would be scarier if you used my name, AH!" Hazel replied. Somehow she liked this game, this provocation. A kind of competitive will awoke in her. She felt a wand at her neck. Yet it was what she herself said that distracted them enough to be able to shake her own out of her sleeve. Unobtrusively, she had it pointed at the twin's chest behind her back. "But you know what I've always wanted to tell you guys?" she now said sugary sweet. "What?!" growled the female twin. "Listen carefully, Depulso!" she said. She saw that Samael also swung his wand at her, at the same moment that she herself fell on her butt because of the tug on her hair. "Protego! Expelliamus!" And there was silence. "How many times do I have to tell you, that it is you who should not - Protego! - mess with ME!" she said, now cold again, interrupted only by a failed stupor. Since Hazel was losing patience, she played a card that she would have to deal with later: "If you continue to behave like a bunch of savages, my uncle will find out about it. So I advise you: Practice self-discipline or I'll have you expelled from this school!" She said, picking up her school bag, tidying her ponytail and walking into the classroom now humming again.
"Professor! I'm glad to see you!" Hazel greeted her mentor. "Likewise! Thank Merlin you're not hurt. I heard about the attack. Trolls in Hogsmeade?" Fig wondered. Hazel nodded. "Sir, The Trolls were wearing armor. Red glowing armor. Like the dragon collar" she replied. "Goblin silver" it dawned on Fig. "Ranrok must have used it to control the dragon. But how? And why do they send Trolls?" the Professor mused, pacing slowly. "I can explain that to you, Professor," Hazel said, her head bowed. "They were there because of me. We could hear Ranrok talking to Victor Rookwood. The Trolls were a distraction. Rookwood was supposed to kidnap me and he would have succeeded if it weren't for Sirona, Sebastian, Ominis and the guests of the Three Broomsticks" she explained, nervously playing with her hands. Fig's face took on a worried expression. He shook his head. "This is not good. If goblins and black wizards are after you, they want what we found at Gringotts" he said. Hazel nodded. "Sir, you said you discovered something at the Viole?" Hazel used the topic. Fig nodded. "Yes. I discovered an inscription. When I read it out loud, this map appeared. Clever enchantment," Fig said, pointing to his desk where, Hazel noticed, a map lay spread out.
"Is that...Hogwarts?" she asked unsurely. She hadn't been everywhere yet, so she only had a fuzzy picture of the castle in her mind. "Yes, but I don't know where it leads to" Professor Fig replied. Hazel saw something shimmering on the map and came around the table. "Where is that?" she asked, pointing to a spot where she saw - she noticed - patches of old magic. "That's the library. More specifically, the Forbidden Section. Why?" Fig asked curiously. "Because I see traces of ancient magic there," she replied with a shrug. It bugged her that only she could see that. "I figured you might see something" Fig nodded with satisfaction. "Shall we be on our way?" Hazel asked. She was eager to finally learn more about it, but Fig shook his head. "I appreciate your enthusiasm and I'm also excited to see what we find there, but if all that's happened and Miriam and George's deaths have taught me one thing, it's that this thing is dangerous and we can't rush off blind. You are still hurting. So I want you to work with Professor Hecat. I've asked her to teach you a spell," Fig explained. Hazel laughed. "How dangerous can it be in the library? We're just looking for a book, right?" she asked. "Well, maybe we're just looking for a book. But I'd rather you know more magic than you need than the other way around. Come back to me when you've worked with Hecat on your defense and attack spells," Fig said firmly, before saying goodbye and dismissed Hazel.
She was just in time for Potions and sat down at the worktable with Sebastian and Ominis, sighing. "What?" she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she noticed both boys looking at her questioningly. "I'm supposed to be working on my attack and defense spells," she said. "Oh, we can help you with that," Ominis offered with a smile, Sebastian just nodded. "Yes, but first I have to go to Professor Hecat after Potions. She should teach me an attack spell Eleazar said. After History of Magic you can do whatever you want with me" she sighed and concentrated on the beginning lessons, while Ominis blushed and Sebastian laughed softly.
The unscheduled lesson with Professor Hecat was quite tiring. She taught her a new explosion spell: Expulso. And it turned out that the old exauror could be quite strict.
"Pull yourself together. Professor Fig told me it's important that you have your defense and attack spells ready. I don't know what he's going to do with you, but you'd better get to it as soon as possible! Wand up, and swing!" so it went for two hours, until she had passed her first successful attempt, short before history of magic. Her task? Practice. And after Ominis had to keep her from falling asleep countless times, she had also passed History of Magic. Yawning, she trotted after the two Slytherins. "So you need to practice right?" Sebastian said, who was very cryptic about where they were going. She just nodded, "Come on. Where we're going you'll wake up again, trust me" he laughed. Ominis remained silent. He was just happy to be around her.
When they reached the foot of the clocktower, Sebastian spread his arms. "Welcome to the unauthorized dueling club >The Crossed Wands<" he said proudly. "A dueling club?" Hazel asked disbelievingly, rubbing the fatigue out of her eyes. "Come on, let's go say hello to Lucan, he's organizing all this." Sebastian said, taking her hand and pulling her towards a Gryffindor boy who seemed to be clearly younger than her. Caught off guard, Hazel stuttered. "Um...H-Hello." "Hi. You must be the new fifth year. Sebastian recommended you for the club right after yesterday's lesson. If Sebastian stands for you, you must have made a big impression on him, because he is our best duelist so far. I'm Lucan Brattleby, I'm looking forward to seeing you duel" the boy babbled. "Um... yeah why not. I enjoy dueling, my name is Hazel Black" she replied, putting on a smile. "How does this work?" she then asked him as Sebastian and Ominis joined the others who were here. "Oh, it's pretty simple. You come to me, I assign you to the duelists, and whoever is left standing at the end wins. Basically it goes until one gives up, then you can sign up for the next block of duelists" he explained to her. "This is a wonderful way for me to practice. When can I start?" Hazel asked, now feeling quite refreshed. Lucan laughed. "You can choose to compete with a partner or by yourself. In both cases you'll have more opponents per block and if you want you can start right away." he replied. "Oh yeah. Whoever you put up against me, I'll have my fun" she almost sang.
And so a few days passed, during which she hardly had time to think about anything else between classes and exercises.
"Professor Fig! Good to see you. I have been practicing sooo much, you can't imagine. While Professor Hecat was teaching me Expulso, I was practicing dueling with my classmates, without a break," she said happily when Professor Fig called her back in. Those days had been the best of her life so far. From class, to the extra lessons with Hecat, from there to the dueling club, and in the evening they had gone to Hogsmeade to do their homework over a butterbeer at Sirona's Pup. She was partly so exhausted that she didn't even dream anymore. Therefore, her change of mood was little surprising: she was finally well-rested.
"That's what I've heard. Whoever I talk to, even Sirona has only positive things to report. The activity seems to be doing you some good. You look much better than the days before." Fig laughed. Hazel blushed a little. "Well, be that as it may. I don't want to put off our visit to the library any longer. You are adequately prepared for it. So, shall we proceed?" Fig asked, and was about to come around the table when a loud and imperious voice interrupted them. Then Headmaster Black came in.
"Fig. There's work to be done. Go on," he said, hands behind his back. "Professor Black, I have a consultation with my student!" Professor Fig replied, displeased that he was not even granted the politeness of knocking on his office. Black, however, was unmoved by this. "That will have to wait until another day and time. My... niece... will surely understand" he emphasized the word niece quite strangely and Hazel looked at him disbelievingly. It was the first time she had seen Professor Black since the initiation ceremony, and so far only Ollivander had given any hint as to what kind of relationship she really had with him. Black cleared his throat before snapping at Fig again. "I would have thought that after all the trouble with Osric, you would like to make amends". Make amends? Hazel felt herself getting angry. Make amends for what? After all, it wasn't Fig who had eaten poor Mr. Osric or controlled the dragon. Before Hazel could say anything, Fig put a hand on her shoulder. "My office! In five minutes!" and with that Black left the office. "Great. And such a puke is my uncle?" asked Hazel in a Deep, Angry voice. "Um, yeah, that's actually what I was going to tell you. The uncle I was talking about a year ago is the principal, Professor Black. Well" Fig sighed "Unfortunately, I guess we'll have to delay our visit to the Forbidden Section after all" he finished. "B-but Professor!" interjected Hazel, but Fig interrupted her, "We have no choice. It would be unwise to provoke our Illustrious Headmaster further. I'll seek you out when I've gone through what I have to endure. You are lucky not to have met him. You're right, he's a pain in the ass."
Frustrated, she plopped down next to Ominis in the common room. "Should I ask?" Ominis muttered. He had sat down at a desk in the common room to continue writing an essay he hadn't been able to finish when they had been studying. The quill scratched across the paper by itself, but Ominis had to concentrate to make sure it wrote the right thing. And the moment he smelled her scent - a mixture of fresh hay and a hint of apple and jasmine - he had to be careful that there was not suddenly a completely different nonsense writing down.
Hazel only let out a sort of grumble. Ominis sighed and put down the quill so it wouldn't write anymore. He turned to her. "Okay differently. Do I HAVE to ask?" he asked. She sank deep into the uncomfortable wooden chair, groaning. "Hazel," he said sternly. As always when he struck that tone, her heartbeat quickened and she did as he asked. "I'm just so frustrated right now, I'd love to smack that pompous poodle ass blower once left and right". Hazel was so upset that she completely miscommunicated her thoughts. That's why he said her name again in an urging tone. Hazel stopped and thought about what she had just said and then sat back up properly and cleared her throat. "I-I... Fuck I don't even know where to begin" she said, running her hand through her carelessly left-open curls. She stood up and started pacing behind him for a few minutes while he furrowed his brows. He knew she needed that to get her thoughts in order, but that behavior frustrated him sometimes. Ominis stood up and just pulled her into his arms without a word to stop her from pacing up and down.
"Take a deep breath. It's just me. So now tell me what's going on" he whispered into her hair. Hazel breathed in his scent and relaxed. That scent - of a forest fresh after a summer rainstorm - was as familiar to her as Star's pelt, even if she couldn't explain it. It wasn't often that they were...SO...close. "Is there somewhere we can talk undisturbed? Where I can tell you two everything?" she asked against his chest. Now that she had her thoughts in order, he let go of her again and took a step back. She contorted her face in disappointment, not wanting to let go of him yet, but she did. "There are certainly a few places in and out of the castle. Maybe it's time for a walk away from Hogwarts altogether? Venture a bit and explore the area?" Ominis asked with a wry smile. Even though he knew he was more of an annoyance in the process himself, he wasn't going to miss the chance to accompany her on her first real exploration. "I-is that okay with you? I...um. I think I'd feel pretty lost if I were you, in big unfamiliar places." she pressed sheepishly. She knew Ominis wasn't weak by any means. But she knew what it was like to have no one looking out for her. She watched Ominis' expression: from confused, to annoyed, until he finally understood her intention. But Hazel's thoughts flipped as she looked into his face only to the point of annoyance. "P-please don't take this the wrong way! I-I...I didn't mean-" she almost rolled over with her words as Ominis gently placed a hand on her head to stop her. When he took it away again, she looked up and saw his gentle smile and had to smile herself. "Thank you for your consideration. I'm certainly not much help. But I'm also curious. What does the Forbidden Forest sound like? What does the air smell like on the coast? How does the grass feel on the hills and fields? And who could I experience it more safely with than the best duelists in the school?" he asked.
Although they had only known each other for barely a week, they treated each other like good friends. They knew each other instinctively, even though Hazel acted much differently in Sebastian's company than she did with Ominis. Something about Ominis manner made her relax. To be herself, whereas with Sebastian's presence it was rather the wall inside her mind that determined her actions. As if she trusted him, but not completely.
"Do you know where Sebastian might be?" Hazel asked after a comfortable silence. "Hmm... He could be by the crossed wands, or in the library. Maybe we just write him an owl and ask him to come to the main exit?" he suggested. Excitedly, she took his left hand and started pulling him along with her. "Woah! Slow down!" he laughed, but followed her. As they stepped out of the castle Hazel whistled a short tune. It sounded clear as a bell and far into the distance. "Aren't you going to the owlery?" asked Ominis, confused. "No. I just called Lilly, she'll be right there, trust me" Hazel said. "Oh, a summoning call. That's pretty darn clever. I should have thought of that" he laughed in surprise. "I can help you teach your owl one. I'm pretty good with animals" she replied and Ominis nodded. He had already noticed that. Among the muggles she had lived with, she had traded the snakes she had spent her childhood with for rabbits. Here she regularly charmed the other owls and pets with her behavior, all of whom always liked to seek her company. But no one she gave as much attention to as her Star, who was now probably lying in her bed, tangled up in the blankets, trying to sleep. Or as Hazel called it >Flopped in the blankets< he thought with a smile.
It wasn't long before they heard the wings beating. "Lilly! Thank you for coming. Here, you have to take this to Sebastian. If he says he doesn't have time, you get the time. Be firm and screech in his ears if you have to, but don't let up, okay?" she told her owl as if she were talking to a friend. Hazel didn't make much difference. She talked to her owl or her rabbit the same way she talked to Ominis. Smiling at this fact, he had sat down in the grass under a nearby tree. He heard the owl flying away and her footsteps coming closer.
"The grass in the fields is stiffer. It's often a bit drier because the crops claim the water for themselves. In return, it smells incomparable in the rain, somehow... warm, if that makes sense, while the grass on the green hills feels wonderfully soft and just smells green. Like the essence of the earth" she said dreamily as she sat down next to him and held her face to the sun. Ominis closed his eyes and listened to her harmonious voice. "The flowers in the wide valleys in spring have a, almost heavy and intense and sweet, smell, while the insects play a humming symphony, and In the forest you can hear so many things. A woodpecker knocking on the bark, birds chirping their family songs, squirrels jumping from tree to tree and foxes digging in the earth. The earth smells.... Rich and gentle and the wind feels different than in fields and meadows. Almost more otherworldly as the trees sing in the wind." she described to him what she had come to know in her muggle days whenever her parents took her out. He enjoyed her giving him this attention, even though she didn't remember him. He enjoyed her caring without her making him feel weak. He knew that she would never call him weak, nor would she mistaken him for it. She just wanted to bring him closer to the impressions he had missed so far. "Hmm" she made almost humming as she thought about what else she could tell him. "My favorite thing was always being in the woods, just after a rainstorm. The smell always calmed me down. So... fresh. Almost like a fresh start after a hard time. The rain washed away everything that disturbed and left the true essence of the forest" she reflected.
When Sebastian finally arrived at the main entrance of Hogwarts, he saw his two best friends sitting under a tree. He had to smile when he saw the picture. Hazel had turned her face to the sun and closed her eyes as she spoke, smiling. The sun highlighted the reddish glow in her open curls, which were a bit wild today. One of the shorter curls fell gently into her forehead. Her posture was at last deeply relaxed as she rested her arms behind her. And next to her, the platinum blond Ominis. He had chosen a similar position to Hazel, leaning back a little further, propped up on his elbows and smiling with his eyes closed, looking towards the sun, he listened to her. He allowed the two of them this moment. He knew, both had a difficult childhood and had suffered various traumas in their lives. The more wonderful it was that they could sit there smiling. Slowly and quietly he stepped closer to the two and caught a few last sentences: "...water in a lake heated by the sun in summer is wonderfully soft and fresh, especially after a summer shower" she said with an incredibly warm tone in her voice. Someday he would wish for a woman like her who spoke to him so lovingly. "That sounds nice" Sebastian said softly, careful not to startle the two. Hazel smiled at him with a hint of sadness. "I could listen to you describe these things for hours. I almost feel like I've experienced it myself." Ominis said with a satisfied sigh before standing up and holding out his hand to her. Sebastian saw her cheeks blush slightly and smiled. He wished she would remember Ominis. The Ominis of her childhood.
"On to new deeds! Hmmm To the left!" Hazel said excitedly. "To the right," Sebastian laughed. "Right!" repeated Hazel, also laughing. Together, the three friends - taking Ominis in their midst - set off, off the school grounds and into the wide open spaces of hills and meadows and trees.