A Sharp Sensation

9

Aesop eyes, those beautiful brown eyes of damp earth and young tree bark. Those eyes you longed to look at in your daydreams were staring right at you in the way you'd least expect them. Hot breaths fanned your face as the he sniffed you- your neck, your hair, your blouse.

"Arresto Momentum!" Someone shouts. Aesop's beast stills and a sixth-year Hufflepuff wrenches you from underneath him.

"Let's go!" She shouts, easily opening the door you had struggled with moments before and dragging you through.

The student slams the door shut, and leading you down a decrepit spiral staircase, down into a dilapidated, dark room with an empty archway. The Hufflepuff heards you to the other end of the room where you could feel a mysterious energy in the darkness.

"Do not let go of my hand!" The girl says before raising her wand and tearing through the empty archway.

Suddenly it was as if you passed into another dimension. You peer over your shoulder only to see another empty archway. Before you was an ancient slab staircase that lead to a door with a strange symbol.

"He can't get us here, no one can," the girl says confidently, helping you down to the beautiful marble floor at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're (L/N)?" The girl asks. "I'm Georgina Fig."

Georgina dug through her robes, pulling out a dinged up pocket watch with the inscription 'E. Fig' on its face.

"Damn lucky you are," she said, sinking down to sit beside you. "It's a miracle he didn't eat you!"

Those eyes, those poor eyes laced with fear and pain, the eyes you cherished. Your stomach turns and you become sick, the light meal you had eaten earlier now a mess on the beautiful floor. As you let out a choked sob, you couldn't help but notice the floor moved. It was like a small river trickling beneath the surface of the shiny surface.

Georgina pats your back awkwardly. "Y' alright?" She asks after a minute or so.

"No!" You cry out. "No! What the fuck is going on?!"

The girl flinches at your crass language. Standing up, she begins to dig through a massive metal chest on the opposite side of the room before producing a murky brown potion bottle.

"Drink this," she says. "It'll help with the fear, brewed it myself."

You eye the potion suspiciously, and why wouldn't you? After everything that has happened today, you were right to be weary.

Georgina notices your pic and smiles weakly. "Don't worry, Sharp taught me the recipe."

Sharp. Aesop Sharp. His eyes. That Beast.

"Georgina, what is that beast?" You ask as calmly as you can muster.

She bites her lip, avoiding your eyes. "He's a werewolf."

"What in Merlin's name is a werewolf doing in Hogwarts?!" You shout, you knew the answer but you didn't want to believe it. It simply couldn't be possible.

"Well..." The young Hufflepuff drawls. "He works here... It's... Sharp..."

You shook your head, it was unbelievable, there was absolutely no way.

"No, it's not possible. I had gone out with him just the other night!" You argue, unwilling to face the truth.

"It wasn't the full moon," she says matter-of-factly. "I can't believe Aunt Tilly didn't tell you!"

You pause. "You're related to Matilda?"

The girl blushes. "No, but my boyfriend is. Despite how much they argue, they're quite close, I've taken to calling her that since that's what Garreth calls her."

"Georgina Fig..." You ponder, glad to think about anything but what you just witnessed in the library. "Are you related to-"

"No," he Georgina cuts you off, tucking her short, ebony licks behind her ear, revealing the tears pooling in her eyes. "But he was my Mentor. When he-"

She took a deep breath. "Just before he died, he told me he wished to adopt me. I'm an orphan, I didn't know I was a witch until last year and here I was in this magical world. Professor Fig taught me almost everything I know, he helped me navigate the wizarding world and he was like a Father to me. I honor his death by taking his name."

Your heart ached for this girl. So this was the 'Hero of Hogwarts' you had heard whispers of. This girl was the student your predecessor had cared for.

"I'm so sorry Georgia," you say softly.

She chuckles, sniffling. "That's what Fig called me!"

Despite everything you were feeling; pain, confusion, fear, you wanted to comfort this girl. This was why you wanted to be a teacher, to help students find their way. You envelope the girl in a tight hug.

"Look at you," Georgina laughs. "Comforting me when ya nearly died!"

"I'm no so sure..." You ponder. "Once he got to to me, he just... Sniffed all over."

Georgia cocked her head curiously. "You must be close then. I'm just surprised he's gotten his little experiment to work!"

"What?" You ask dumbly, clearly missing something.

"You know Professor Sharp was an Auror, right?" The Hufflepuff explains.

You nod, though you couldn't say you followed this train of thought. What did Aesop being an Auror have to do with all this?

"There was a raid one night, someone had reported what they believed to be an unregistered Animagus to be hiding in an abandoned house in Aranshire. Professor Sharp was instructed to deal with the Animagus report while his coworker was there to deal with the spider infestation." She explains.

After taking a deep breath, Georgina continues. "It wasn't an Animagus. They had gone in the dead of night on a full moon, Professor Sharp was attacked, the werewolf mauling his leg. His partner heard the commotion and rushed in to rescue, he didn't make it. Sharp was tainted and he's been trying to find a cure for his lycanthropy ever since; it's why he wanted to work at Hogwarts, he was hopeful that the restricted section had answers."

The unavoidable truth. You wanted to ignore it, to pretend if it were some silly dream but everything started to add up.

"Stars," you mutter.

"Yeah," Georgina replied. "Professor Black owed Sharp a favor and he cashed in with this job. Aunt Tilly keeps everyone safe; her and I as well as a few other Professors patrol the halls during the full Moon, while a few others ensure no one sneaks from the common rooms."

"What in Merlin's name is a student doing patrolling the halls in this sort of situation?!" You ask incredulously.

Georgia only looks at you blankly. "If I can fight in a war, I can handle a werewolf."

You quieted. This girl has seen things and you knew it wasn't your place to pry. The girl checks the watch again, one you've since surmised must've belonged to Eleazar, and stood up.

"It's Morning," she says, offering her hand to help you up.

"How?" You interject. "It was only eight-thirty when I entered the library."

"Time passes quicker down here, Ancient Magic," Georgia says as if that explained everything. You decide to ask Aesop what she meant at breakfast.

You stop in your tracks.

Aesop. Will he even be at breakfast? Is he okay? Are you okay to be around him? What does all this even mean?

"Give me strength," you whisper to yourself as Georgia leads you from the Magical Corridor and back into the restricted section.