Rewrite the Stars

2

Pulling away from Caspian's embrace, Annabelle watched in horror as Professor Hecat rushed over to Sebastian, quickly assessing the unconscious Slytherin. The witch bit her lip as a soft, white glow enveloped him. Her thoughts were running wild as the crowd around him grew wider, everyone desperate to see if he was alright. Dread filled her bones as certain parts of the white glow turned a sickening blood red, indicating injury.

She hadn't meant to hurt him, not in the slightest. Sure she was angry and frustrated at the man but she truly hadn't wanted to cause him any harm. Her Depulso was only supposed to interrupt his stance and give her an opening to disarm him. Instead, the banishing charm had blown him backwards with a force she hadn't expected. In all reality, the spell should have been blocked by his well timed shield charm. She knew she saw the impact, yet rather than absorbing the spell, his shield fractured and exploded into pieces.

It wasn't normal.

Neither were the blue wisps that had suddenly appeared around her during the duel. She glanced back down at her hands, frowning. Any trace of that peculiar magic was gone, as if it never existed in the first place yet she was certain it was there...whatever it was. It had to be some form of magic, but it was a kind she'd never seen before. The witch had been in plenty of duels since her magic manifested, yet she'd never experienced such a thing before now.

What was it?

"Mr Malfoy, would you please take Mr Sallow to the hospital wing?" Professor Hecat's voice cut through Annabelle's thoughts, bringing her back to her present predicament. Cas' expression fell as he was forced from her side, but he dutifully listened. The red-haired witch watched as her friend easily picked Sebastian's unconscious form up, throwing the man over a shoulder before exiting the room. A group of girls tried to follow after the men but the professor quickly shot them down, reminding the women that there were classes to attend to and that they could visit him later.

"Miss Pagewood, could you please come see me in my office?" The older woman asked. Despite the phrase being formulated as a question, the young witch knew there was no room for discussion. Hecat's voice was stern, laced with an underlying foreboding feeling that had Annabelle shivering. Gulping, she nodded, fear flooding her veins.

"As for the rest of you, off to your next class." A few women shot her a dirty look before scurrying quickly from the classroom, most likely heading to the hospital wing to check on Sebastian. As students began leaving, she felt a warm grip on her hand.

'It'll be okay, Annabelle.' Eve thought, trying her best to reassure her friend. With a squeeze of Annabelle's freckled hand, she watched as her friend followed their classmates out of the room. With a heavy resigned sigh, the young witch reluctantly made her way to the professor's office.

The professor was already seated at her desk, taking a sip from her ornate tea cup. The older woman looked up upon Annabelle's arrival, her dark eyes momentarily lighting up.

"I suspect you know why I called you to my office." She stated, her voice ominously calm. The younger witch couldn't pinpoint any specific emotion, and it made the red-haired woman even more on edge. Before she had a chance to speak, a plush chair appeared next to her. An invitation to sit down. Whatever the professor had to say wasn't quick, a notion that only served to heighten her discomfort. Annabelle quickly took a seat before her trembling legs gave out beneath her.

"Professor-" She began, desperate to explain that she truly meant no harm but Hecat raised her hand, effectively cutting off anything the younger woman was about to say.

"You're not in trouble, Annabelle."

"I really didn't mean to-wait. I'm not?" The red-haired witch asked incredulously, her eyes widening almost comically. She must have heard her mentor wrong. Hurting another student surely warranted at least a week's worth of dentition at the very least, possibly even expulsion, yet she was walking away...free?