The Heart Is Not Black or White

Chapter 19

I was still beaming about my Quidditch success by the time Holidays rolled around. Of course the Slytherin loss was a disappointment, but I was garunteed a spot for my second year already. Older Slytherin students were complaining, claiming that it was unfair for a first-year to be promised a spot on the team, but Daphne was always there to defend me.

Surprisingly, Malfoy was not sulking. In fact, he was very friendly to me in Potions and during our flying lessons, the latter we obviously didn't need lessons for. Otherwise he didn't really talk to me, but the insults had stopped. I had a feeling that it was because I was somewhat of a Quidditch star now.

When Fred and George heard that I was to be a Slytherin Beater next year, they were ecstatic. Of course they were back to bragging about me.

"Marcus Flint is still a slinthead," Fred said once. "Why didn't he just let you replace Lucian Bole this year?"

"The roster can't change in the middle of the year," I would reply.

"To Hell with that rule!" Fred would exclaim.

Since I had encountered the troll, I showed no other signs of having the Manus Force. Tracey had told me nothing else about it, so I assumed that she concluded I was a negative.

December at Hogwarts was magical. There was a large tree set up in the Great Hall and there was several feet of snow on the ground. The older and braver students went ice skating on the Black Lake, as now it was fully frozen.

Everyone at Hogwarts was getting into the Christmas spirit too. Fred and George's way of spreading holiday cheer was bewitching snowballs to follow Professor Quirrell around. Many students complained about the cold, but it wasn't particularly bothering me. In fact, I was still hot from wearing our stuffy uniforms everyday.

Two weeks before I was supposed to leave Hogwarts for my new home, I had gotten a letter from Dad. The new house was not finished yet, and I would have to stay at Hogwarts with the Weasleys. I was completely content with this. Daphne and Tracey were not staying, so I would have more time to spend with the twins. Pansy and Millicent were also going home, which I was grateful for. Pansy often talked endlessly about how attractive Malfoy was, and Millicent would grunt in agreement. Also, Pansy looked at me as I was a piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe. She mostly ignored me and Tracey. Pansy interacted with Daphne every now and then, but Daphne wanted nothing to do with her. So I was glad to have the dormitory to myself.

When most everyone had gone home, I felt so much more at peace. My days were spent playing wizard chess with Fred and George in the morning and then finding ways to outwit Peeves. I was the only Slytherin who stayed at Hogwarts, so I was able to smuggle them into our common room. We had stayed up so late that a couple nights before Christmas Eve, we fell asleep on the couches and had a good laugh about it the next morning. George talked in his sleep and Fred snored obnoxiously loud. They said it was creepy the way I slept, like I was under a spell, because I made no movement or sound whatsoever.

The night before Christmas Eve, I was having trouble sleeping. I would fall asleep for a half-hour and then wake up expecting it to be morning, only to find that it was still late at night. I would then have trouble falling back asleep. I woke up once again at three twenty-one when it happened.

I lurched up from my sleeping position. My eyes had just opened and I knew something was wrong. I was shaking and cold. Deathly cold. And I never got cold.

Obviously I was not well. Stressed out, I ran my hands through my hair. When I made this sweeping motion with my hands, what looked like a billion dust particles rose from the floor, into the air, and flew past my head, hitting the wall behind me. Suddenly I wished that I had listened to Tracey.

Bile rose in my throat. I swallowed, willing myself not to puke. I needed to get to the infirmary. Now.

I pushed back the covers and stood up. My legs started to quiver and I collapsed to the ground.

Death. I knew it was on its way. Something inside me was killing my body.

I spotted Corvus in her cage on my nightstand beside my bed. She was screeching, sensing the deathly aura. Well, Fred and George were going to get an alarming owl.

Dragging my body toward the dresser, I opened the top drawer and grabbed a piece of of parchment. Taking my wand from the same drawer, I tapped the parchment to indicate that I wanted to send a Howler. Between gasps of air I spoke to the parchment.

"Fred, George," I said, my voice quivering. I surely did not sound well. Like I was on the edge of death. "Or anyone. I'm dying. Get down here to my dormitory and carry me up to the infirmary."

There was no strength in me to say another word. I folded the letter and tapped my wand to the parchment again. A red envelope wrapped around it.

I lifted my body up as far as it could go so that I could unlock Corvus's cage. It took only a second, but it felt like the longest minute of my life. I finally succeeded to unlock her cage and Corvus flew out. I collapsed again, hitting my head on the concrete floor.

Death. Death seemed closer. As the seconds passed, I got colder and colder. But I couldn't stop to rest. This letter needed to get to someone, or anyone.

Keeping my head on the floor, I held my arm up with the letter between my fingers. "Take it to Fred... and..."

There was no more strength left. Just as I felt Corvus take the letter from my hand, my arm fell. I struggled to breathe. I was uncontrollably shaking and felt as if I were freezing to death. The corners of my vision were spotting. No. I couldn't let this thing win. But whatever was killing me was stronger. Soon my vision was completely blinded and I drifted off.