My heart skipped a beat as the photo came to life. There we were, Jacob and I, jumping up and down and grinning at Mom. She must have thought it was because we were excited. Mischievous, giggling, and making silly faces at each other. Little did she...
I was terrified I'd break down. I did. It didn't matter.
— Rosalind M. Baker, from Woman Prayers: Prayers by Women; "Breakdown"
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Early in the morning, I managed to slip away from the Hospital Wing, right under Madam Pomfrey's watchful eye. As a parting gift, she made me down the Wiggenweld Potion and subjected me to a barrage of diagnostic spells. But once the doors closed behind me, and the matron didn't pursue, I knew things were back to normal.
I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Tonks, who was still blissfully asleep amidst the burnt, wounded, and those who succumbed to the Sleepwalking Curse. When she woke up, Madam Pomfrey would likely hound her until lunch. And all because—
"Quite fortunate, Miss Gelider, that I found you and Miss Tonks near the castle exit, isn't it?"
I jumped slightly as Mr. Lee's hand landed on my shoulder again. Over the past day, our encounters became more frequent than I'd prefer.
"Clearly, this Sleepwalking Curse might have gotten you both killed if it wasn't for me. Barnaby would be so devastated to lose such a precious friend!"
I nodded briefly, trying to hide the blush and the strange, inexplicable satisfaction that surged within me. Somehow, the thought that Barnaby would be upset if I got torn apart by creatures in the Forbidden Forest felt... comforting.
At least that was what Mr. Lee would report, as yesterday, Tonks and I staged quite a play about falling victim to the Sleepwalking Curse and coming to our senses — solely! — thanks to Cecil's heroic intervention. Chiara and her mysterious visitor, predictably, didn't make it into our narrative.
Werewolves. Dementors. Cursed Vaults. Homework. Rivalry with Rakepick.
In addition to all that, Madam Hooch announced that we earned ourselves a common detention with Rath and the Slytherin Quidditch team. She delivered this news during her morning visit to the Hospital Wing, along with our bruised Seekers, who had started a brawl arguing over whose eyesight was better. A common detention promised to either "bring genuine sportsmanship back" or rather, bring both teams to the brink of death.
I let out a weary sigh, and Cecil, ever the gentleman, offered his arm. I clung to it like a lifeline.
"It's a shame our investigation didn't yield the results we were hoping for, Miss Gelider," he remarked as we strolled towards the Great Hall. "We gathered bits — claw marks in the Forbidden Forest, a few packages of Droobles in the owlery, a black feather stumbled upon by Mr. Copper..."
I came to an abrupt halt, unintentionally dragging Mr. Lee along. Perhaps I misheard; maybe he didn't actually say...
"Interested, Miss Gelider?" Cecil perked up immediately, a smile spreading beneath his mustache. "Mr. Copper even transfigured that feather into a note. Can you believe it? Some prankster predicting death looming over Hogwarts! Poor Mr. Copper nearly turned gray."
