| YEAR 2; CHAPTER TWO |
VOICES
THE FIRST YEAR SORTING WENT FASTER THAN HE REMEMBERED, though the feast remained just as rowdy. Edwyn briefly spoke to Cedric before they returned to their tables. Cedric was apparently looking for him as well on the train, and it made Edwyn happy to know that he wasn't completely forgotten.
The feast had ended almost as quickly as it had begun, and while Edwyn had spoken with his friends as normal, there was something off in which he couldn't quite put to words. An unspoken discord in their relationship, well his and Draco's to be exact. Perhaps it was because of his relationship with Harry Potter? He couldn't be all too sure, and Edwyn didn't have the courage within himself to ask the other boy.
Cedric, on the other hand, was doing just fine. The boy had gotten to the train late, and unfortunately just missed Edwyn, though the thought brought him back to that blonde girl he met on the train--Luna Lovegood, was her name. He had remembered it from when he saw her again during the first year sorting. Perhaps he might see her sometime in the halls, unlikely, but it could happen.
As the days passed by, it became common knowledge of Professor Lockhart's ignorance and incapability at actually teaching D.A.D.A. Lockhart, unsurprisingly, was as narcissistic as they come. Every sentence that spewed out of the man's mouth, was a comment of, or was at least alluding to, his supposed greatness and power. Something in which Edwyn knew for a fact was complete and utter bollocks.
Despite the complete disappointment of yet another Defence class, all of Edwyn's other classes remained the same. Snape continued to deduct points from Gryffindor as if his life depended on it, McGonagall with her stern, yet forgiving lessons and kind help, then Mrs Sprout and her love of plants. Flitwick, of course, was just as knowledgeable as always. It was a wonder to Edwyn that the man was once a duelling champion, given his size, but considering the man's formidable repertoire of spells and magical knowledge, it wasn't all that large of a surprise.
Lockhart just seemed to be the one exception to the order.
The evening settled in now, and the small group was heading back to the common room.
"I can't believe we're still stuck with that clown," Blaise lamented.
"Honestly," Edwyn huffed, "Can you believe that quiz he handed out?"
"That man is a bloody disgrace to wizards," Blaise replied dryly, though after a moment he must have remembered something and he gave a grin. "Hey, Draco, did you see what Greengrass wrote?"
Edwyn's eyes widened a bit and he bit back a laugh. He could still remember Lockhart's face when he read it.
"No?" Draco said. "What was it?"
"Alright, so get this," Blaise gesture with his hands as he began to say, "Remember question seven? The one about his crackpot book? Daphne literally destroyed him. I can't remember exactly what she said, but basically, she told him that he was a useless and disgusting excuse of a wizard and that he'd never be loved in his life, and he knew that because he wouldn't pretend at being a hero otherwise."
Draco was about to say something but paused for a moment. Edwyn assumed he must've been taking a second or two to register what Blaise had said, even Edwyn took a few, since the boy was talking so fast.
"How in Merlin's name did she not get detention?" Draco eventually asked.
Blaise shrugged, and Edwyn answered. "Probably because he didn't want to acknowledge what she wrote."
Draco chuckled. "Yeah. Come to think of it, she is pretty scary when she wants to be."
Edwyn's attention was suddenly diverted from Draco when a low, raspy voice echoed from the walls around him. At first, he thought that his ears were playing tricks on him and that the wind simply blew a little too hard outside. It was also entirely possible that it was just his lack of sleep finally catching up with him--to his later chagrin, he decided to spend most of his night reading, and later trying to practice some new transfiguration spells he read in the textbook.
Though as the voice continued, the more Edwyn was doubting that it was just in his head, and it chilled Edwyn to the very bone, burrowing itself under his skin with each passing second.
"Kill... time to kill..."
Edwyn hesitantly asked, "Guys... do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Blaise said. "All I hear are the sounds from the Feast."
"...I smell blood... I SMELL BLOOD..!"
"Bloody hell!" Edwyn panicked, "It's going to kill-!"
Edwyn knew it was a rash decision, but he ran through the corridors. Following the sound of the voice. His footsteps echoing through the hall as he struggled to keep up with the sound.
"Edwyn where are you going?!" Draco shouted after him, attempting to keep up with his racing speed.
He made a quick turn, then another. His heart pounding in his ears.
He saw Potter and his friends cornered by Filch. Next to them, lay Filch's cat, Miss Norris, hanging down from the wall. He looked up to see a blood-red scrawl painted on the wall.
His breath was thunderous to his own ears, and he watched as teachers and students began to crowd around the small group.
"Chamber of Secrets has been opened?" Edwyn heard Draco say. "You're next, mudbloods."
Edwyn winced at the boy's words and looked toward Hermione with an apologetic expression on his face. Thankfully she didn't seem to acknowledge Draco's declaration and gave him a small smile in greeting which he returned. Ron noticed and looked between them with a confused expression on his face.
Once everyone calmed down, they returned to their dorms. Edwyn was already looking forward to collapsing on his bed, though he decided to stay up a little longer as his friends remained sitting in the common room instead of their dorm.
"Why'd you run off earlier?" Blaise asked him, in the middle of his conversation with Draco. They must've gotten to that moment at some point in their talk, but Edwyn wasn't really paying attention.
Edwyn considered his choices for a moment before replying, "There was this... voice. It sounded like it was going to kill someone."
There was a pit in his stomach when he saw Blaise and Draco share a look. This was it, Edwyn thought, they'd definitely leave him now, damn it, he really was an idiot.
To his relief, the two shrugged it off, and eventually, night fell. Everyone slipped into a deep slumber, including Edwyn—even if it took a bit longer for him to eventually calm down enough to finally lull himself to sleep.
-
It was Quidditch season, and Edwyn was thankful that Draco hadn't pushed him to go to the match. Instead, he sat with Theo Nott in the dorms. Finishing his transfiguration homework.
Although Edwyn occasionally struggled with his spells, his control improved sharply over the summer. Mr Scamander had helped him gain some semblance of control over his magic, and he was able to at least cast menial spells without cursing the wall into oblivion.
"Hey, Belmonte," Nott began, breaking the calm silence that had filled the room.
"What?" Edwyn replied distantly while scribbling his notes down on parchment.
"Why do you always let them push you around?"
Edwyn furrowed his brows, "What are you talking about?"
"Malfoy and his friends. You just let them walk all over you. Why do they get to say who you can or can't hang out with? You follow them around like a lost puppy."
Edwyn frowned before he responded, "They're my friends. They don't push me around."
Nott was about to respond before the door slammed open. Draco stormed into the dorm, a scowl etched into his face. Edwyn wondered what happened as Draco threw his gloves onto his bed, stomping around the room in the imitation of pacing.
"What happened?" Edwyn asked, concerned.
"Potter! It was bloody Potter again!!" Edwyn flinched at the harsh tone. He normally was fine around shouting, but it was the sudden surges of the volume that still bothered him. "I was so close! I spent all that money on those brooms, yet he still won!"
Edwyn never was particularly good at comforting others. It was a slight fault in his nature and probably from his upbringing. Despite this, he tried his best to console his friend, "It... It was probably a fluke. There's always next time."
Draco huffed, throwing his things on his bed. "A shame that Lockhart didn't remove all of his bones."
His concern and that damned curiosity of his came running full bounds, concern not far behind. He looked at Draco again. "Lockhart removed Potter's bones? How?"
"I don't know. Potter is in the Hospital Wing right now. The bloody nurse barely looked at me! Too busy coddling that scar-head."
Edwyn felt conflicted. He wanted to make sure that Potter's alright, but he remembered quite vividly what Draco had said to him on the train. Recalling Nott's words, he made up his mind and stood. "I'm going to the library," he said to Draco.
Draco just nodded, brooding over his loss. A pang of guilt hit him at how easily the lie escaped his mouth.
He lightly shook his head to dispel the thought and departed for the Hospital Wing. All the while, passing the various over-talkative portraits and gloomy corridors. As he passed through the door, he saw Granger and Weasley leaving the room. He almost sighed in relief that he wouldn't have to deal with the two.
"Are you alright?" He asked Potter when he made it to the boy.
Potter looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just have to wait for my bones to regrow now. Pomfrey said that there won't be any lasting damage."
Edwyn let out a short sigh in relief. Thinking on it now, Edwyn never thought that he'd be truly worried for Potter. It may have started as a tolerance of the boy, but that certainly wasn't the case now.
He felt oddly guilty as well. "So, you won the match, right?"
Potter smiled, shifting himself on the hospital bed. "Uh-huh, though if Lockhart hadn't tried to help, I'd probably still be out there..."
Edwyn frowned, "That bloody git."
He hadn't thought it was funny, but Potter let out a small chuckle. The noise caused Edwyn to smile just a bit. It was then, that Draco's words echoed in his head. He enjoyed Potter's company, but Draco was his friend and Edwyn didn't want to lose that. He just couldn't.
Edwyn rapped his index finger against the side of his thumb. A rhythmic sensation which calmed him down slightly.
Taking a breath in Edwyn spoke, "Listen, Potter--"
"Harry."
Edwyn paused for a moment, "Sorry?" He eventually asked.
"Call me Harry. We're not strangers, you know."
The conflict that was arising in Edwyn seemed to strengthen at those words. "Uh, Harry... I... I just want to say that I won't be able to talk to you all that often. Draco doesn't really like it when I hang out with you and your friends. I really do hope you get better soon, though."
Harry's expression turned taut. "Friends shouldn't govern each other's lives. You really shouldn't let him push you around like that."
He froze. Nott had said the same thing to him just minutes ago. He smiled tightly, "It's fine. He's just worried, that's all." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. Himself or Harry.
A sad smile tugged at the other boy's lips and Edwyn quickly got up. "I should really get going now. It was nice speaking with you."