Bath Time

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The note read simply "My Office. Immediately after dinner." I didn't need any clarification on who it was from. We seemed to have an unspoken understanding of this strange connection since the incident on the stairs.

With electric energy I excused myself from the Great Hall, leaving my friends with only the vaguest of idea where I might be. I had planted the seed earlier that I would be in need of the library later this evening, but as I left I mentioned going back to the dormitories. If they go to the library they will think me in the dormitory or vice versa. I could only hope they would assume they missed me on my way to one or the other and think nothing of my absence.

The cooler air in the dungeon sent my skin into goosebumps, or maybe that was just my proximity to my destination. There was a certain quaking in my bones I could not bring under control but neither could I stop my feet from continuing their tread. When I arrived at the door and raised my hand to knock, it was almost as if he could sense my arrival. The door flew open and he stood there filling his office doorway like an ominous black cloud of smoke.

"Come in." He said tightly, turning on his heel and marching through the arched tunnel to his cramped black stone office. As I entered the door slammed behind me and I heard several clicks and clunks as multiple locks slid into place. My goosebumps asserted themselves further at the confirmation that this was in fact a very private meeting indeed.

He was busy turning two leather armchairs to face each other in the middle of the room in front of the desk. He gestured to me that I should sit in one of them. As soon as we both had taken our seats I became aware of being too close to him. There should be a desk between us, an obstruction. A pittance of air lingering between our knees was far too flimsy. I pressed my thighs together in an idiotic attempt to quell the growing urges.

"Right. I'm sure you well know why I've asked you to come tonight." He began, his eyes skimmed over me down my body to my bare knees and abruptly back up to my face. "We need to discuss the situation since the stairwell." I wanted to speak, to say yes, I understood that but my mouth was dry and my heart was hammering into my throat so I merely nodded at him.

"I've gone over the moment again and again in my mind and I have berated myself for not simply arresting your momentum and levitating you back up but, alas, I did not. I cannot take back the fact that I grabbed your hand to stop your fall and I have decided there is no point in bemoaning the fact that I did so. This type of magic tends to force itself on people whether we wish it or not.

The sparks that we saw continue to elude me in my attempts at researching them. I've looked through every mention of sparks, stars, and any other explosive skin to skin outburst in the library and I cannot find an example of what this magic is that is plaguing us. The most commonly written about phenomena regarding sparks on first touch is, of course, star crossed lovers. Which is frankly, absurd and always romanticised beyond reason for any kind of scholarly research.

The function of an appearance of magic at a touch is to draw attention. Perhaps to a connection that would otherwise go unnoticed. I have asked you here to convey that I have been looking into this and I am coming up terribly short on answers. I could, if you wish, ask my colleagues for their expertise. However, I have been putting that off as I think you and I will both agree that it would be uncomfortable at present to stand in Professor McGonagall's office and talk about what is happening to us."

"Please don't tell anyone." I begged, hearing the desperation in my voice. The idea of listing the symptoms of this very bizarre ailment to other teachers was utterly horrifying to me.

"I will respect your choice at this time to keep this information between us. But I need you to understand that it might not be the best course of action. I worry without the intervention of others that we will find ourselves making a series of bad decisions that very much have the power to affect both of our lives."

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