The Legacy of Our Love

Chapter 11

ASRA

The remainder of the weekend had been relaxing and uneventful, which I was incredibly grateful for given the weekend had started out so intense. Sebastian had invited Ominis and I down to the lake for a breath of fresh air, and I found I had needed it desperately. I wanted nothing more than a distraction from the unsettling memories that have been bombarding my dreams. I was recalling more and more each time I neglected to take my Potion of Dreamless Sleep, and it was all too overwhelming. I had a family. I had a life before that awful orphanage. Brothers I adored, and parents... parents I was growing more suspicious of with every recounted memory.

I welcomed the distraction of the soft autumn sun and cool breeze. The amount of time I had been spending in dank, dark, underground caves was certainly having an effect on me. We enjoyed the afternoon lounging by the lake, Sebastian having packed a lovely little lunch for the three of us to enjoy away from the castle. For a moment, it had felt like the most normal thing I had experienced yet this year, and I began to hope that I was truly settling into my new life here.

The following day of class, I eagerly followed my fellow fifth years outside the castle to Beasts Class. There, I was sat next to a sweet looking Hufflepuff girl, who introduced herself as soon as I approached the desk we were to share.

"Hello! I'm Poppy, it's wonderful to finally meet you." She extended her hand to me, which I shook politely as I sat down. I was positively thrilled when a variety of creatures began to wander near the desks as we made ourselves comfortable.

"Asra, and the pleasure is mine." I smiled back. Relieved I had a decent deskmate, I turned my attention to the front of the classroom, where Professor Howin had taken her place at the front of the class.

"Welcome everyone," the professor began, "I see some of you have already met some of the many beasts we will be studying in this class. Though be advised, none of these creatures should be taken lightly. They are all in their own way, dangerous, especially if one does not know how to handle them properly." Several students gasped as one of the birdlike creatures disappeared in a burst of feathers that very next moment. "It would seem many of you are out of practice." The professor continued after the distraction. "Let us take some time to review the basics of beast care. Miss Sweeting, would you please assist our new student with the lesson today?"

"Yes Professor Howin." Poppy replied as she turned to me with a smile. The professor made quick work of distributing small creatures that resembled a giant ball of cotton to each pair of students.

"Don't worry about Professor Howin's speech, she tends to over exaggerate. Every beast in this class is perfectly safe—oh!" Poppy exclaimed as the creature extended what appeared to be an absurdly long tongue and dragged it across her face. I threw my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stifle the laugh that forced its way from me.

"Pay attention please, Miss Sweeting! The tongue of a Puffskein can be a slippery devil." Professor Howin warned, and Poppy flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet.

"Yes, sorry Professor." She replied before turning back to me, and setting the creature gently onto the desk. "Here, you can practice on Gerald. Just keep an eye out for his tongue." She winked at me, and stifled a laugh to avoid catching the professor's attention. "You can use my brush, just be gentle. Oh, and think pleasant thoughts. I like to think it enriches his experience."

Enriches his experience?

"Like this?" I asked as I began to gently run the brush along the Puffskien's back, making sure to brush with the direction of the fur growth.

"That's lovely!" Poppy clapped softly, watching the tufts of fuzz collect in the bristles. "I'm sure he feels much better now, though he might be hungry. Would you like to try giving him some beast feed?" She produced a small container of what appeared to be large pellets, and offered it to me. Taking a small handful of the pellets, I offered them to Gerald, who greedily accepted. As cute as the little guy was, I did not appreciate that he felt the need to lick my hand clean after he was finished.