passing paradise │oliver wood

chapter 13

Chapter 13

Earth 616 felt farther and farther. As time passed by in the wizarding world, time also passed by back in New Asgard. I had been maintaining a specific routine that cultivated and preserved my energy but I was exhausted at a different level by the middle of November.

I had major headaches spiking up in between classes from being sleep deprived and lack of food intake. Paying attention to classes was a difficulty now since O.W.L.s were nearing much faster than I anticipated. There was more information to take note off and a lot of reading. At the end of the night, more like early morning, I had an average of 4 hours of sleep per night. It was getting bad, pretty bad for my health.

I couldn't just ditch my training especially since last October 31st. Fury had assigned me in a mission case which hasn't ended but slowly, the pieces were coming together. I was eager to finish it so that the pressure would lessen.

"Hey, where have you been?" Zara came to my side when I was waking in the halls to our next class, Ancient Runes.

"What do you mean? I was in class," I answered, clutching my books tightly as I felt another headache coming. It knocked on my skull like an irritating woodpecker.

"You weren't at breakfast," She pointed out. "You weren't there yesterday nor the other day too. I barely see you aside from our classes together."

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I've been caught up in studying and reading."

"Why? You're not exactly a Ravenclaw, Ali."

"It's because I value my studying and knowledge."

"I don't see you in the library studying though."

"When did you ever go to the library?" I snickered, making a turn and her still walking beside me. "Plus, I don't study in the library."

"Then where do you exactly study?"

"At the..." I let it linger in the air for a second, looking around. "You know, at the open grounds. The gardens or somewhere that isn't stuffy and dusty."

"Do you mind if I join you studying then?"

I shrugged as we neared the next class that we shared together. "I mean, if you don't mind me screaming and getting frustrated at myself every 5 minutes, I guess you could."

"Okay, then. I do need some help in Transfiguration and Potions."

"I'll help you," I smile through the knocking pain.

Balancing Hogwarts and balancing trainings and missions were a hazardous combination. During the nights free from Earth 616, I joined the Slytherin common room group studies with the rest of the Year 5. We had fierce competitions and fast fire questions that whenever we got it correct, it would lead to our own group to earn points. My group with Zara, Angelina and Terence was head to head with Adrian and Flint's group.

We would sit facing the fireplace with each representative of the groups standing at the front and the person who would ask the questions. That was mostly Noelle's doing because she organised everything. The rest of the younger years would watch around and cheer for their selected group.

For the nights filled with trainings, I had to be very discrete going back to my dorm room. Bruises were covered up and any trace of a different world was hidden under wraps. When they, my friends, would ask where I was going, I'd tell them the same excuses as if it was a pattern. Going away to study, sleep or do some crazy unimaginable spell that would put themselves at risk. I knew some of them, specifically Adrian and Zara, were getting suspicious of my actions. I had to switch it up at times and just avoid them for days. I hated it. I hated lying but it was something I was good at.