The Art of Magical Mayhem

Sickly Sweet

September 1935

Unfortunately, the twins were busy with homework or some such. Those damned 'Claws, leaving me alone with nothing but arithmancy and my own thoughts for company...

"You seem distracted. Is something wrong?"

...and Vanessa, I supposed.

"Distracted?" I said, "Me? Never."

Nothing was wrong! Nothing but mind-numbing arithmancy and the knowledge that there might be a veela with hypnotising abilities in Hogwarts! Nothing was wrong at all.

Vanessa looked sceptical. "If you say so."

"I'd be less distracted without your endless yapping."

"I appreciate my company too, Star!"

Vanessa had been unusually happy for the past hour, ever since we'd settled down in the library. She really had no right in saying that I was the one behaving strangely.

I hummed and returned to my notebook. The twins and I had already translated my sequence into a working runic circle, though a disgustingly inefficient one. I sketched my latest iteration onto an origami crane before—as a last-minute consideration—picking up my ebony wand and casting a silencing bubble around our table. The quiet chattering coming from behind a nearby shelf stilled at once.

"This one had better not end up exploding like that last one," warned Vanessa.

"Don't worry, I won't give it that much magic," I said.

"That's what you say every time!"

Ignoring her, I touched the runic circle with my wand, willing my magic into the paper bird. I withdrew my hand as soon as the magic took.

There wasn't anything malicious in the air, at least. That was a good sign.

Not daring to blink, I stared at the bird. The wings fluttered weakly... then it went still. I waited for another second, then two, then ten. Nothing happened.

"Star, I don't think it worked."

I sighed.

"Maybe that was too little magic..." I muttered. I was sure I'd given it just enough. Maybe Vanessa was right. Maybe I was distracted.

At least it hadn't exploded this time.

I took down the silencing bubble, looking around to see if anyone had noticed it. Our section remained as empty as it was before, though I could still hear conversation from the next shelf over.

Maybe I should leave the runic circles to the twins...

When I turned around, I found Vanessa peeking at the next aisle through a gap in a stack. I followed her gaze. There were a couple of Gryffindors seated there, chattering merrily away.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

Vanessa leapt away from the shelf, a vibrant blush spreading over her nose.

"Nobody!"

I raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

It didn't matter. Vanessa's business was her's and not mine, after all. Now to see where I'd gone wrong on the latest circle...

I pulled an arithmancy textbook out from the neatly arranged pile next to me. The numbers seemed to blur in my vision, and for once, I couldn't make heads or tails of them. I shut the book with a loud thud and placed it back on the pile. Maybe I should try working on my Ancient Runes homework instead—something or another about the significance of Sowilo.

Vanessa was, again, glued firm to the gap in the bookshelf. I took a closer look at the Gryffindors. Oh, wait. Hadn't the Simmons said something about Vanessa crushing on a Gryffindor? That would certainly explain things.

Adolescent hormones. Eugh.

"Well," I said, slinging my bag over one shoulder, "I think I'm done working on this project for today. I'm going back to my commons."

Vanessa unglued herself from the bookshelf, looking vaguely disappointed. "Well in that case, I think I'll return to the Hufflepuff common room as well. I've an essay for Merrythought I ought to finish."

As I followed Vanessa out of the aisle, she bumped into someone and stopped in her tracks. It seemed that the herd of Gryffindors had decided to leave the library at the same exact moment as us. How convenient...

I glanced suspiciously over Vanessa's shoulder. One of the Gryffindors winked. Vanessa was, currently, busy melting into a flustered puddle. The person she'd bumped into had long, dark hair, tied back into a low tail. He was, to my endless horror, also blushing.

So this was the future beau, then. Hecate have mercy... It was patently clear that the romantic feelings between them were mutual, whether they were each aware or not.

The boy's fellow lions though—oh, they were most certainly aware.

"We'll meet you back in the Tower, Apollo!" said one of the Gryffindors. They left, snickering quietly to themselves on the way. The boy seemed to shiver in fear.

"Um- so." Vanessa suddenly deigned to acknowledge my presence. "Oh, yes, um- Star, this is Apollo Robinson. He's in my year. Apollo, this is Star."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

Robinson nodded, then seemed to remember the ability of speech.

"Oh, um, nice to meet you too."

His voice was timid, as if it didn't see frequent use... but that also could have just been Vanessa's presence.

Vanessa cleared her throat. "Um, I hadn't expected to bump into you today, Apollo. What are you doing in the library?"

And here, Vanessa displayed the same awkwardness she'd shown years ago, back in Flourish & Blotts. It was rare to see her like this, she who was usually so chipper and conversational. All over some boy.

I repeat: hormones! Disgusting!

"Just hanging out, doing homework. I was reading up on dragons!" Robinson gestured at the bookshelves and grinned like a lovestruck loon.

I coughed pointedly. Vanessa startled.

"Oh, Apollo, we were just leaving," she said, "We can walk to the entrance hall together and separate there?"

"Sounds good," said Robinson, still grinning.

I walked ahead, eager to get far, far away from the pair of lovebirds.

—————

"Hello, everyone," I greeted, sitting neatly down at the Hufflepuff table. From where I sat, I couldn't see either the Ravenclaw or Slytherin tables.

The ceiling overhead was a warm lavender speckled with clouds, fading out to orange at the edges.

"Hello!" Vanessa said back.

Anderson sat across from her, Warren next to him, and Armani...

I stared at him for longer than I'd like to admit. Tearing my gaze away, I loaded up my plate.

"So, I met the beau," I said.

"He's not my beau," Vanessa muttered mutinously. She took a swig from her goblet.

Anderson choked in an attempt to laugh. "Yeah right!"

In the wave of conversation, I found myself not-so-subtly glancing at Armani several times. I'd hoped no one had noticed until Vanessa quietly asked: "Is everything alright?"

I dropped my gaze to my plate, then to her. The thought of telling her my suspicions crossed my mind for but a second... before it slipped away, into a hungry pool of molten sugar like it had never been there.

"Yeah," I said, "Everything's just dandy."