Only The Beginning

A Trip to The Hospital Wing

Olive woke with a jump, startled by the nightmare that held her in sleep. Her eyes searched wildly for the danger she faced in her mind, only to find she was in the safety of the Room. Nightmares had been a regular occurrence for her lately, while they were vast in their depiction the themes remained the same. Images of Ranrok standing over her friends who lie on the ground dead, poachers who seek their revenge on her, Azkaban and its dementors, Rookwood rising to the top as the next dark wizard after harnessing the power of ancient magic. Olive rubbed her eyes, trying to make the moments burned into her memory go away, reminding herself it was just a dream.

Her head throbbed painfully as she willed her body to move off the couch she had occupied. She had potions class first thing this morning and Sharp was not a fan of tardiness; he was known to lock students out of the classroom should they be late. She felt aches all over her body as she pulled on a new uniform quickly and chalked up the shiver that went down her back on the cold stone floors she stood on. Olive's face felt hot as she rushed down the stairs of the Astronomy tower, eyes focused on the ground trying to ignore the dizziness that hit her suddenly.

"Hey, Whitlock. Your two friends are fighting in the Great Hall." A Hufflepuff from her year said as they passed each other on the moving staircases.

Her two friends? Perhaps Poppy and Imelda were in another 'passionate discussion' about Cornish Pixies and if they were a nuisance to society or had helpful capabilities. She struggled to open the grand door leading to the Great Hall, her body feeling heavy and tired. She scanned the room for a brawl but didn't find one among the students seated at tables eating breakfast. Off to the side of the room, over by the fireplace, she spotted two familiar Slytherins, they didn't look to be fighting, but the angered faces they both wore told a different story.

Olive approached the two boys, Ominis was leaning coldly up against the wall, disinterested in what Sebastian was saying, while Sebastian was pacing back and forth, hands flailing around while he spoke. Their volume was quiet, but tones were sharp and ready to bite.

"I will not have anything to do with the Dark Arts any further. You have no idea what you're messing with." Ominis' voice cut coldly through the tension.

"I think that anything to do with Salazar Slytherin is worth messing with. This could be what we've been looking for! For Anne." Sebastians voice was desperate as he pleaded with his friend.

The scowl on Ominis' face cracked for a fraction of a second before his face turned icy again, "No. I won't discuss this anymore. I ask that you respect my choice." He pushed off his place on the wall and brushed past Sebastian. Sensing her presence not far away he gave her a polite nod before storming out the doors of the Great Hall.

Olive approached Sebastian cautiously, he kept his eyes on the ground as he continued to pace back and forth, eyebrows knit together. "Are you alright?"

He Scoffed "No I'm not alright, Ominis is being ridiculous and won't listen to reason. Remember how I told you that Salazar Slytherin had a Scriptorium here in the castle? I've been trying to get him to show me where it is, he claims he doesn't know but his ears turn red when he's lying. Even with the possibility of this Scriptorium holding the answers on how to cure Anne, he still won't budge."

"Is there a particular reason you feel he's holding back?"

"Ominis thinks it was used for dark magic, so he wants nothing to do with it. I keep telling him not all dark magic is inherently bad, however given his family history it is difficult to convince him otherwise."

"His family history? I thought they were just blood purists?" Sebastian turned away from her and crossed his arms, hesitating.

"The Gaunts are... They are very involved in dark magic. So much so that Ominis' parents forced him to learn very young. Are you familiar with the Cruciatus Curse?" When she mumbled a 'No' he continued. "It's known as the torture curse- Crucio. When cast, it inflicts the most excruciating pain on its victim. His family would cast it on muggles for fun, like it was a game. Ominis says the cries were so horrific that when he was told to cast it, he couldn't, so as punishment for being a muggle sympathizer they cast it on him. The pain was so intense that when asked to cast it again, he was unable to refuse. I've always told him that he did what he had to, but he hasn't been able to forgive himself."