Hidden Slytherin

Chapter 28 Completely Delusional

Jane woke up that morning to the cool air of the dungeon. In her sleep she had thrown off her blankets which pooled on the floor. Smudge lay curled up in the abandoned bedding, tufts of soft fur sticking up. She stretched as tingles danced under her skin. Getting up, she scooped up the pile, Smudge included, and deposited it all on to her bed. Jane quickly collected her cloths and slipped into the bathroom. She cast a quick tempus spell to check the time before getting washed and dressed in her uniform. Something she hadn't realised she would truly appreciate about her odd sleeping schedule was letting herself take time to get ready in the morning. Even in the Leaky Cauldron, she couldn't seem to break the habit, but here with everyone asleep and the doors warded, she seemed to be able to slightly relax. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and tried not to choke on her own spit.

Her hair had darkened further, although it could still pass as brown she hoped and when she leaned in she noticed something else. Her eyes which had always been a stormy gray, now had a thin ring of gold. Jane leaned in, using her fingers to pull back her lashes and look closer. Her mind started to race. Was it a side effect of her vision spell or something else going on with her magic? Could it be an outside influence?

She decided to test it and silently and windlessly sent magic to her Arbitra spell. She had noticed over the last two months that she needed her wand less and less to preform spells she knew well. She had heard that it was supposed to be quite difficult to learn the skill, but maybe it had something to do with the age of the caster, as if their magical cores were still settling. Or maybe she just had a knack for it.

Either way, she made sure to use her wand in her class and in front of teachers. She watched her eyes as the rings seemed to thicken more the more she strengthened her vision. Something struck Jane and she let her eyesight return to normal. Gripping the counter, she focused inside on the magic that seemed to ebb and flow within her, never taking her eyes of her mirrored reflection. She let her senses expand outwards and watched as the golden rings thickened, almost glowing as the gold seemed to flow around. Slowly it seeped into her eyes as the room behind her seemed to light up with trails of sparkling lights. Walls seemed to spit becoming doubles that breathed in and out.

Slowly Jane pulled herself out, letting go of the magic to settle away.

She let go of the counters edge, relaxing the tight muscles of her fingers. The magic seemed to be humming happily under her skin and her cloths felt itchy on her oversensitive skin. She wet her face to shake off the feeling before heading out and grabbing her bag. Smudge had disappeared, probably off to explore the castle.

Jane silently moved out to the common room and began exploring the book shelves. She knew she now had copies of these books back at the Lighthouse. She recognised several from the ones gifted to her from the Room of Requirements. Eventually she found one that looked interesting and pulled it out before settling on to a couch close to one of the fire places. She read, the only sound the flipping of the pages and crackling of the fire.

Jane jumped when a hand came down on her shoulder gently. She whipped around only to see Roman smirk. He tipped his head to the exit and she nodded, slipping the book back onto the shelf. They walked together to the great hall, talking quietly as the wind howled outside.

They sat down at the Slytherin table and Jane tried to ignore the howling wind that seemed to follow them in. Finally looking up, she was transfixed by the pumpkins suspended above their heads, carved faces smiling ghoulishly and the bats that swooped back and forth. Ghosts, far more then she had ever seen in Hogwarts seemed to be holding court up in the enchanted sky above their heads.

"Like the decorations," Roman asked her.

Jane tried to ignore the tingling that had been racing up her arms. It was Halloween. She wondered how it could have slipped her mind. She made a positive noise and tried to focus on the food in front of her.