When They Meet

Chapter Eight- A Tale of Long Ago

John's POV-

After I brought that kid to the Hospital Wing, I noticed the Slytherin boy I had talked to before looked nervous. When the owls swooped in he gulped and took a letter from a big, majestic screech. He opened the letter and read it quickly before dunking it in a goblet and then he went back to talking to his friends. He looked at me and I smiled at him. He turned away again. "Way are you so interested in Malfoy?" Minerva asked.
"Well, it's because he doesn't look happy. He doesn't look happy to be on his side of the war. I'm trying to show him compassion so he can be brave when the time comes."
She glanced over at Malfoy too. "Away, to another subject, I have a spell I need your help with. I need it to work before the final battle that will surely happen soon and I need a second opinion."
"Of course," Minerva said with a smile.

~Time Skip~

"Okay class, today Minerva has given me permission to tell you all a story. So put away your wands and books and get comfortable." I let them all move around. "Okay, now that we're all settled.
Once upon a time there was a young boy of the age of five was alone in an orphanage. One day two new people came. A girl two years older than him and a boy, just a few months older. They became the best of friends, and stayed that way even when the boy did weird and cruel things. The new boy tried to always be there for the boy but his older sister didn't approve. Soon they turned eleven and an old man showed up at the orphanage and told the two boys a secret. They were wizards. He told them of a wonderful school that only witches and wizards were allowed to go to. They both instantly agreed that they wanted to go. They went and bought all they're school supplies together and rode the train together. The boy was up first. Slytherin the hat had shouted. The boy glanced at his friend with a smile on his face before bounding off to the Slytherin table. When it was his friends turn, he walked up and say down. After a great consideration Gryffindor was what he called out. The boy clapped for his friend even though he was sad that they would be in different houses. The entire year they remained friends. They stayed at the top, the two best students. By the end of the year they new more than your average fifth year. Then something tragic happened. One day they were looking up something new when a green most appeared. It sunk into the boys friends body. Though both were shaken up neither appeared to be hurt. The boys continued to grow closer until the boy confessed that he loved his friend. His friend said I can't, for some strange reason I can't bring myself to love. Rejected and hurt the boy ran off and became extremely obsessed with learning all kinds of dark magic. He soon started to hate muggleborns with a passion. Meanwhile, his friend tried to figure out what was wrong with him. He continued to excel and stayed the best in the class. They ignored each other until last day of their seventh year where the boy punched his friend so hard his nose broke. His friend stared him down and just walked away. Unknown to him the boy had created a muggle hating group that would go on to kill so many. At some point through all of his studies the friend realized that he had been cursed and that was why he couldn't love. To late to tell the boy he left the wizarding world and went to muggle college and joined the muggle army."
The kids looked at me with confusion. One raised their hand, "What has that to do with anything."
I looked at the kid sadly, "Because it is the story of a man you have all heard of."
"Did the friend ever figure out how to break the curse?" a girl asked.
"No, the curse remains to this day," I told them.
"Who was it?" someone else asked.
"You'll all find out in time," Minerva answered before I could. I looked around the class and saw everyone staring off into space, obviously thinking hard, "If you don't have anymore questions, then you may leave." Once all the students were gone she turned to me, "Is that what happened all those years ago?"
"Yes," I told her.
"But you seem perfectly capable of love," Minerva said.
"Imitation, I've learned to act very well. My flatmate claims not to feel but he doesn't know what true emptiness feels like."
"You were such a sweetheart, how could this have happened? You seemed so full of passion."
"We'll never know what happened that night, but we can know that it's my fault muggleborns are being hunted and killed."
"You can't blame yourself for that."
"Yes, yes I can."